Born of Blood, Bred for Vengeance
by Awen Sofer
Summary: Alucard desired unexpected challenges while hunting the world's most impossible monsters. He purposely created a monster of his own to give himself a more personal future adversary. Unfortunately, he never counted on God's Assassin finding his creature to transform her into an Avenging Angel. Worse yet, would the Paladin take away the lover and mate that should have been his?
1. Chapter 1

Eva stepped out of the library, turning to lock the door. Closing time – her favorite part of the day. She took in a deep breath of the refreshing night air to clear her nose of the scent of musty old books and dust particles. Her day had been spent in the classics section, carefully dusting and straightening the ancient books with pages that had turned crisp and brown like fall leaves. A few of the books were antique first additions while others had been donated by library patrons after being found in their great grandmother's attic or basement or somewhere unusual like that. Each book seemed to have a story to tell besides the one held within its pages. There was one book in particular that she liked. It was a history book of sorts, recounting the past events of the Hellsing family. The Hellsings were supposed to be the earth's protectors, hunting and killing the undead creatures of legend that were prolific in horror novels and films. These fictitious beings includes ghouls(monsters akin to zombies), werewolves, and vampires, some of which are the most easily recognizable along with several other creatures. The creatures can be divided easily into two categories: human and non-human. The book was written as a chronicle of the mysterious and secretive Hellsing family from the beginning of the twentieth century, covering seven decades. The story abruptly ends with the birth of Integra Hellsing. Eva was quite sure it was just an incredible work of fiction, possibly written by a family friend or some other individual within the family's circle, who possessed an outlandish an overactive imagination. Her taste in fiction novels seemed to gravitate to the supernatural side of things showcasing well-known fabricated monsters like vampires who had been fodder for the artistry of writer's for eons.

Eva took another deep inhale of the comfortably cool night air. Summer was just beginning and the pleasant spring days would be heating up soon. Crickets created captivating harmonies in the dark, creating one big cacophony of sound that managed to be delightful to the ears. There was nothing more annoying than one cricket alone, being trapped in the house at night, and chirping at random times. Hundreds of them together made beautiful music. She always walked home through the park. Although it would have been shorter to stick to the city streets on the outskirts of the massive square of urban green area, she still chose to take the scenic route. There were ample streetlights along the path to light the way and discourage any unlawful activity. However, the brilliant illumination did not deter the occasional set of lovers who enjoyed a long kiss on a bench or indulging in something more licentious in the bushes behind the park benches. The last thought made her giggle a little. The sound of her own chuckle startled her when it echoed back to her from the shadows. Despite its beauty, the park could still be creepy. She continued walking with a leisurely gate in no real rush to get home and leave the pleasing atmosphere around her. The sound of rushing water splattering against tiles drifted to her ears as she came closer to the fountain in the center of the park. A plain, three-tiered cement fountain spouted water high into the air to come crashing back down into the surrounding pool covered in diamond-shaped, teal colored tiles. Glancing around with a playful smile on her lips, she scouted the area to make sure she was truly alone. She set her purse and sweater down on a nearby bench, sitting down briefly to kick off her high heels. The cement sidewalk felt rough and bumpy, still warm from the sunlight of the day, under her aching feet. Tiptoeing to the edge of the fountain, she pulled up her straight black skirt that skimmed her legs below her knees. Placing one palm flat on the wide edge of the fountain pool, she held up her skirt with the other hand. Stepping into the fountain, she gasped when the frigid water enclosed her leg. The cold water soothed the throbbing discomfort of her calf muscles and her feet. Daintily holding up her skirt to the middle of her thighs, she stood up before not so elegantly swinging her other leg over the edge. She stumbled a bit, positive she looked like a baby giraffe trying out her legs for the first, before she regained her balance. She laughed, not caring if she sounded insane because she was alone. Alone but not lonely. Free and happy to be alive.

Unfortunately, Eva was not alone.

_Oh, the lovely librarian, _Alucard thought to himself as he watched her from the inky darkness under a nearby tree. He had not been in the habit of stalking his prey, skulking in the shadows like an animal, for many, many years. Hauling in a deep breath as the breeze rustled the branches of his hiding place, he could smell her. She smelled absolutely wonderful. Her body was pure and clean, untainted by drugs and alcohol. She bathed in soap that smelled like peaches and cream which was a quite fitting description of her complexion and the smooth texture of her skin. The mesmerizing color of her skin, like the flesh of the fruit used to scent her soap, made him want to take a bite out of her. His mouth watered, and he licked his lips. He was exceedingly thrilled this woman's curiosity had gotten the best of her, prompting her to go to the Hellsing Manor to inquire about the family and boldly ask for a tour. The first inquiries were summarily dismissed with a vague explanation about the family cherishing their privacy and preferring to keep it that way. The later numerous requests were flatly turned down with the heavy black iron gate being closed in her face to further punctuate the sentiment and to keep her from coming back again.

Integra had asked Alucard to follow this woman, to find out what she was up to. Alucard had swiftly come to the conclusion that she was just extremely inquisitive and had no further motives than to answer her own personal questions about the Hellsings. By that time, he had become addicted to her fragrance, to seeing her brush her fingers through her shoulder length hair the color of brown sugar. Her eyes reminded him of the color of impeccably browned loaves of bread. He compared everything about her to food because that was what she was to him. Her blood would be a tantalizing treat, a sweet ambrosia he had not tasted for quite some time. It would be so much better than the bagged blood that he usually had to make do with for nourishment. That blood maintained his body, keeping him going. But it did nothing to soothe his real appetite. He was sure her blood would be rich, thick, and warm when taken straight from her veins. Surely it would taste like the most rare wine on earth as it flowed over his tongue and down his throat to sate his hunger – his desire. He licked his lips, adrenaline coursing through his body as he watched her walk and splash in the water, chuckling to herself. So full of life...but not for much longer. The crushing sadness that should have overtaken him at that thought was no more than a fleeting wisp of a useless human emotion that he did not understand. Being an unconscionable beast, an emotionless vampire, did have its more positive qualities. Tonight he would step out of the shadows and take her.

~...~

After a long shower under boiling hot water, Eva stepped out to dry herself. Steam rose from her skin that was red from the high temperature of the water. She picked one of her softest, fluffiest towels to use to dry off. As she rubbed the fuzzy fabric over her body, she would swear she heard a groan that tapered off to a pitiful whimper. Her heart beat thumped at a quicker pace pushing her blood through her veins faster. She found it difficult to hear anything except her own beating heart. Shrugging her shoulders, she assumed the neighbor's dog was at her front door again begging to be let in since his owner had left him in the hall too long. She sighed in irritation with herself. She knew she should have never taken pity on the tiny pug puppy and brought him into her apartment. Those eyes had done her in. There had been nothing to see, but big black begging eyes when she had looked down at his cute smooshed in face. But not tonight. She was too tired to babysit a lonely puppy.

Alucard smiled to himself as he watched the corners of her mouth lift into a kind smile. His tongue drifted over his lips, lingering on the sharp edges of his canine teeth that were longer than the rest. To feel the sensation of his fangs sinking into soft warm flesh while his lips pressed to a rapidly pulsing artery made a discomforting hardness form between his legs. He had forgotten how sexually stimulating it could be to take a live human victim. Her scent filled his sensitive nose so strongly it caused him to become dizzy with the powerful primal desire to feed. His body shook with the thirst that had driven him here, and he shuddered with overpowering need because she was standing so close to him. So close that the sensation of her body heat sinking into his skin made his mind become fogged with instinctual hunger, to take both her body and her blood. He resisted the urge to seize her and sink his fangs into her to lessen the pain of his miserably throbbing body. Standing still beside her, he held his breath as he waited for the distracted woman to notice him.

Eva inhaled a sharp intake of air when the awareness of the ominous presence in the room with her finally sank into her inattentive brain. Out of the corner of her eye, all she could see was a shadow filling the area beside her. She was not sure if it was unbridled terror or staggering curiosity that kept her from moving, from screaming, from running...from reacting at all. The shadowy object seemed fluid yet solid, having the form of a man. Her skin prickled as a cool hand touched her shoulder, sliding across her collarbone to her neck. She thought her spine would snap as each muscle contracted painfully around the successive vertebrae as the bony fingers skimmed down her back. Her body convulsively shuddered when his hand roamed over her round butt cheek before the thin fingers gripped it with shocking strength.

"Wh-who-," she stammered, fear getting a stranglehold on her throat. She turned her head to see the man was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a crimson cloak that seemed to have a life of its own. The material swirled, the ends licking at her legs like flames. It was a gentle touch that tickled.

"My name is Alucard," he responded without making her form the words of the rest of her question. He pulled off his hat and cloak, throwing them on the chair at the end of the bed.

Eva's eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark enabling her to see him loosing the buttons of his white shirt. Her eyes could not look away as he slowly, teasingly, opened each button. His skin was about the same color of snowy white as his shirt with taut but undefined muscle beneath. After watching him drag the shirt down his arms and toss it onto the chair, her eyes moved back to his. A low red glow like burning coals came from them. They seemed drawn to her face and would not look away. A mop of shaggy black hair darker than death hung down his cheeks to his chin and curled past the nape of his neck almost to his shoulders. He was beautiful. But in a frightening way that make her shake with fear.

"The Hellsing guard dog?" she inquired, hearing a low growl come from him. She assumed he hated that title.

"I am the true power of the Hellsing Organization. I am the one they created to do all of their dirty work," he explained, dropping down to push his pants to the floor. With a graceful movement, he stepped out of them while reaching for her. His thin but strong arms wrapped around her body. He sighed in gratitude as her warmth flowed into him while he held her to his body. "Are you afraid?" Given the way her body was trembling in his arms, he already had his answer.

"Yes," she answered truthfully, her hands sliding up his chest. Her fingers moved around his neck to twist into his hair that was strikingly luxurious as if silk were being pulled between her fingers.

"Why don't you try to get away? Scream...hit me...do something," he nearly begged her, his hands meandering down to her hips. His mouth lowered toward hers. His lips parted to hover over her slightly opened mouth.

"Would it do me any good?" she breathlessly inquired, her moving lips brushing across his. She could feel him mesmerizing her, tempting her. He wanted her to want him - and she did. Her stomach twisted and lurched with arousal when his pointed incisor scraped across her lip. It stung because the razor-sharp edge had cut her lip, drawing blood. Before the tangy metallic taste of her blood touched her tongue, his lips enclosed her injured bottom lip to suck lightly. Her hands closed into fists, gathering his hair into her palms. Her body trembled with rising need as the low, feral groan rolled from his throat.

No. It would not have done her a damn bit of good to fight this. Even if she had, it would have been half-hearted. She had read about him. She doubted the true extent of his powers and strength had been outlined in any of the books. If she had run away, she would have run straight back to him when he reeled her back with his unrelenting seduction. Although she knew this man had every intention of killing her, he was making her not care. All she could think about was the ecstasy that flowed through her body with each delicate touch of his hands, the raw strength under control contained in the arms that held her. His velvety lips nudged hers with a feather light pressure, threatening to claim hers but never doing so.

"Eva," he whispered in her ear.

His hot breath swept across her neck, decimating her senses like a wild-fire burns through acres of dry grass. Eva clung to him since she had lost all strength of her own. She could feel their bodies going down, slowly lowering to the bed as he held her against him. Her body was like that of a doll, light and easily navigated into any position he wanted. She offered no resistance when his hands enclosed her waist, his lengthy fingers almost encircling her entire body. After being lifted, she was brought down to straddle his lap. A distinct hardness pressed against her womanhood. She could feel it twitching between her legs with the need to be inside of her. An incredible thrill like lightning surging up her spine, igniting thousands of nerve endings at once, surged through her. Raising up onto her knees, she reached down to take the rock hard organ into her hand so she could guide him into her body. A sound like none she had ever heard before escaped his mouth as she sank down onto him. The sound was a high-pitched keening noise like one suffering agonizing torture. Perhaps he was a tortured soul; seeking comfort, even if was just a brief reprieve for one night. She was his chosen sacrifice, the one who would take away his torment just for a short time. Maybe she was making the concept of her impending death a much more noble sacrifice than it actually was. It made it easier for her to accept the reality of her dire situation.

Alucard pressed his tongue to the hollow of her throat, licking upwards to her chin. He groaned with selfish pleasure as she moved her body on top of him in long, slow strokes. Raising his hips into her, he pulled her down on top of him until she cried out because he was so deep inside of her. He laid his lips along the carotid artery in her neck. The blood rushed through the artery, pulsing enticingly with every beat of her heart. Using his tongue, he traced the artery down her neck before following the subclavian artery that ran parallel to her collarbone.

"Alucard," she whispered into his ear, kissing his cheek.

"You really are an amazing woman," he murmured to her, kissing her lips in a tender manner that temporarily masked his monstrous nature. He felt her body tighten around him as she cried out in bliss. Holding her quaking body to his, he enjoyed the way she called his name like a plea while she helplessly rode out the successive ripples of the orgasm. Patiently waiting for her to cease moving, he pushed the sweaty hair back from her forehead so he could look into her eyes.

"Alucard," she said again, attempting to catch her breath. Fear crept back into her, stiffening her spine and making her blood grow cold as he stared at her unflinchingly with those red, smoldering eyes.

"Eva, listen to me," he said, his voice low and pleasant in tone.

Eva felt the fright that had overtaken her eventually subside, leaving her body, before it crushed her spirit completely. Her eyes remained on his as he began to speak again.

"I'm going to kill you now," he warned her, his white incisors glinting in the moonlight sinisterly.

This seemed so ridiculous, too surreal to be happening. This was the most horrifyingly realistic dream she had ever experienced. She swallowed to force down the lump that had formed in her throat. The terror she had felt before he took it away had been far too real. "Will it hurt?"

"Yes...yes, it will hurt a lot," he responded honestly. Judging by the terror-stricken expression on her face, he had been too honest. His fingers skirted her jaw before sliding down her neck and to her collarbone. He had chosen to bite her there to keep from ripping her throat out entirely. Even in death, he wanted her to remain beautiful. Taking hold of her hips, he moved his body under her receiving a moan of approval for his pleasurable actions.

Eva gripped his hair, pulling slightly as he placed kisses and small licks along the length of her collarbone. A single tear escaped her right eye, slithering down her cheek to leave a cold, salty trail behind it. She felt his mouth open seconds before a white-hot pain blazed through her shoulder when his teeth punctured her skin. A burst of searing agony raced up her neck and down her arm. Her body began to grow heavy, unmoving as if a burst of super gravity were bearing down on her. She immediately realized she could no longer move because he had paralyzed her. Unfortunately she could still feel every bit of the agonizing pain raging through her body.

Alucard hung onto her, inserting his needle sharp fangs through her tender flesh until he came into contact with hard, unrelenting bone. He allowed the precious warmth of her blood to fill his mouth, savoring the acidic metallic taste that was like pure nectar straight from the gods. As he greedily gulped down her blood, he thrust his body into hers with absolutely no restraint. His moan was muffled by the blood that was streaming down his throat in a seemingly never-ending flow of goodness. This truly was an orgasmic experience on several levels. His arms tightened around her when her body began to grow limp as he stole her life drop by drop.

"Blood donor," she whispered, weak and knocking on death's door.

"What?"

"I was nothing more than a blood donor."

Alucard lay his head on her chest, listening to her slow, labored breathing. "You were much more than that," he assured her.

"Liar..liar..." She gasped for air, unable to say another word. Her vision had blurred and the blinding darkness was beginning to close around her to shut out the world forever.

"You will always be a part of me. I will carry you with me no matter where I go. Because of you, I will have strength to kill the monsters worse than me."

"There..." She paused, struggling for air, fighting to stave off the specter of death just a bit longer. With conviction strengthening her voice, she venomously spat at him, "There is no monster worse than you."

Alucard cradled her in his arms, waiting for the last breath to leave her body. He almost felt despair and regret when she released that breath, forfeiting her life with a pathetic wheeze. Carefully laying her down on the bed, he positioned her on her back with her hands folded on top of her belly. He covered her body with the sheet and the blanket, leaving only her pretty face exposed. Giving her one last kiss, smearing her own blood across her bluish tinted lips, he dressed in preparation to leave. There was no need to completely destroy her body because she would not turn into a ghoul. He had not taken every last drop of her blood. With the little he had left inside of her, she had the chance of turning into something else. A monster of his making that would come after him, seeking revenge and his demise. Smiling to expose his flashing white fangs, he welcomed the challenge and was looking forward to the day when she would reappear in his life.

"I will see you again, my beloved monster. Until then my love...I must bid you adieu." Alucard opened the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. He used the small table there as a step to perch on the banister, easily balancing himself. "When you come for me, bring all of the fury of hell with you. You'll need it."

With those last words, Alucard dropped from the balcony and out of her life as quickly as he had come into it.


	2. Chapter 2

Father Alexander Anderson gazed down at the pretty young woman lying on the shiny metal autopsy table. The medical examiner had called the church requesting a priest to perform the last rites for the woman who had been found dead in her apartment. Not sure of what he was hoping he would find, but feeling an unmistakable need to go, he had volunteered for the job. Surely it was divine providence that he would be at the church visiting when such an odd request would occur. Although he was not really searching for anything, apparently there was something there that he was meant to find. Upon his arrival, the coroner, a tall gaunt man who could be death incarnate, led him to the autopsy room where he gave the priest a brief summary of how the woman had gotten here. Her employer had grown concerned after she had not shown up for work without a phone call explaining her absence. The police were not concerned and told her to wait twenty-four hours. On the second day of her absence, the employer called again, this time in a state of hysteria, so the police went to investigate. The Head Librarian received a call back from the police that confirmed her worst fears. Her employee was dead - murdered in fact.

Sadness filled Anderson's heart when he thought about what a tragic waste it was for one so young and beautiful to die. His fingers traced one long wave of her fawn colored hair down to the curl at the end that lay right above her breast. His eyes that were as green as a juniper tree in winter followed every soft curve of the woman's face. The porcelain whiteness of her skin made her appear to have been transformed into a doll instead of one lingering in death. There had been no discoloration of her skin due to livor mortis because her body had been almost completely drained of every drop of blood. He only knew of one creature that could perform such a precisely measured venipuncture and extraction. His fingers brushed aside her hair to examine her neck. There were no marks. Taking hold of the sheet covering her body up to her chin, he carefully folded it back to search for signs of a bite. Below her left collar-bone, just where her shoulder began to curve, he found what he was seeking. Among the perfect impression of a full set of teeth there were two small holes about two inches apart, the distance from incisor to incisor of an adult male vampire, on her otherwise unmarked skin. The insertion marks were in exact alignment with the subclavian artery.

"Hmmmm," he murmured, the sound rolling around deep within his broad chest. Leaning closer to inspect the wound, his upper lip peeled back from his teeth in a snarl when he recognized the signature of a specific vampire. "Alucard. You filthy, wretched abomination."

Reaching under his grey cassock, Father Anderson retrieved the small flask of holy water and the rosary beads he carried with him just in case he should happen upon such an individual. He was familiar with this sort of thing having chased Alucard to the ends of the earth and back again in an attempt to kill him. Many times he had been forced to dispatch the fledglings that had been left behind by the selfish, ravenous vampire. Alucard's master, Sir Integra Hellsing, really should get a shorter leash and better control of her damnable pet. The priest's lips stretched then twisted into a sardonic grin as he stared down at the lovely young creature on the medical examiner's table. Perhaps he would finally have a pet of his own. Alucard should have taken his new conquest with him like he had that police girl, Seras Victoria. The vampire's arrogant carelessness might finally be his undoing.

Father Anderson carefully lifted the woman's head, sliding the black and red rosary necklace down around her neck before lowering it again. He meticulously positioned the ornate cross on her chest on top of the sheet that covered her naked body. Ebony vines and thorns made of onyx twisted around the silver cross. A single rose fashioned out of rubies sat on the cross beams of the crucifix. He opened the flask of holy water, holding his forefinger to the mouth of the bottle. After wetting his finger with the blessed fluid, he made a cross on her forehead with it. The black lights installed in the room in addition to the fluorescent lights gave the water a luminescent blue coloration against her white skin. He gently pushed his large hand under her neck, lifting her head slightly before tipping her chin up. Pressing the top of the flask against her bottom lip, her lips inexplicably parted the slightest amount. A smile full of malicious glee pulled at his mouth making the corners twitch as if he had a facial tic. He tipped the shiny silver decanter, watching the water trickle between her lips and into her mouth. Taking great care not to waste a single drop of the sanctified fluid, he patiently dribbled the contents into her mouth. Once the bottle was empty, he recapped it, putting it back into his pocket. Bringing forth his Bible, he began to read scripture aloud.

"... but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.*" Without looking up from the text in his hand, he continued to read. "...let the one who desires take the water of life without price.*" Then, he waited.

Eva was sitting in a cold, barren place. A dazzling white color that went on forever in all directions seemed to make the emptiness even more profound. Alone, freezing, and blind, she lay curled on her side, hugging herself for comfort. She was about to be liberated from the great nothingness - soon to be birthed from death back into life.

Staring at the lifeless body of the young woman, Father Anderson prayed silently for life to return to her; for her to awaken from her slumber as a new and eternal being who would slay evil in the Lord's name. He was concerned with one evil in particular. She would be his weapon should he be granted an affirmative answer to his prayer. His eyes centered on her throat, searching for any perceptible signs of her life returning. Suddenly, there was motion as she swallowed. His heart beat faster, pounding in his ears like the hooves of a thousand horses. He could not even hear her harsh intake of air as she sat upright on the table with a burst of physical force like she had been propelled upward by an invisible push. Lurching forward, he grabbed her shoulders as she was wracked with a coughing fit, her body convulsing with each vigorous hack.

"Go away!" she yelled, pushing the massive man away from her. She hastily pushed herself off of the table, rushing to the sink that reminded her of the deep sinks from her science lab in high school. Unable to hold back the urge to vomit, she allowed her body to push the viscous burning fluid up her esophagus. A thick tar like substance splashed against the clean, unmarred sides of the well like sink causing her to feel even more nauseated. Big chunks of tissue that resembled blood clots were in the disgusting goo. Her stomach churned and heaved until she was left ejecting what looked like pure water. With her body completely emptied, she realized too late she had been depleted of what minute amount of energy had enabled her to propel her recently dead body to the sink.

Seeing her knees wobble and her body begin to fall, in one smooth, elegant movement, Father Anderson snatched the sheet from the table while rushing to catch her. Wrapping the sheet around her naked body, allowing his arms to encapsulate her, he pulled her to his body before she collapsed onto the floor. Gently rocking her like a father does his child after she has had a nightmare, he waited for her body to stop trembling.

"Wh-who are y-you?" she stammered, desperately attempting to control her body that was unwilling to move except to shake as if she were experiencing an earthquake from the inside out. Her body felt hot and cold, empty and full, all at once. Glancing around her, she immediately realized she was in the city morgue. Why was she here? Only dead people were brought here.

"My name is Father Alexander Anderson. Do not be afraid, my child. I am not here to harm you," he told her, his voice a resonant, silky baritone that was riddled with an intoxicating brogue.

"Here. Where is here?" she inquired, her head twisting in all directions in such a lightning quick manner he was afraid she would break her neck.

"Shhhh," he whispered into her ear, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her. "Everything is all right. You have been through a terrible ordeal, my dear."

"What kind of ordeal?" she asked, leaning heavily against his big hard body that was like a wall against her back. He was solid and forceful to the touch, yet gentle and kind in the way he touched her.

"My sweet angel," he murmured, lifting her into his powerful arms in a bridal carry. "What is your name?"

"E-Eva," she stuttered, her hands sliding around his thick, sinewy neck as he moved toward the door with her. Her eyes were mesmerized by his dark green ones that reminded her of the grass in the park during springtime. The light glinted off of his round lensed wire rimmed glasses hiding his eyes from her view as they moved under the bluish white fluorescent lights. His light blond hair was short and spiky like an overgrown military buzz cut. Generous amounts of darker blond stubble coated his square jaw. She wanted to touch it, to feel if was silky like it appeared to be. However, his large body was moving too fast for her to let go of him for fear she would fall.

"Eva. What a beautiful name. So close to Eve, the name of the mother of us all," he mused, staring straight ahead with determination. He was a man on a mission and no one was going to stop him from taking this woman with him. Yelling voices erupted behind him, warning him to stop. Things had instantly gotten more serious than they had already been just five seconds ago.

Eve. Mother of us all. My child. My sweet angel. He spoke like a priest. Glancing at his neck, Eva saw the high white starched clerical collar of a priest under the trademark black shirt. He was also wearing the long cassock of a priest but it was a light gray color with purple trim and had been left open like a jacket. He was not like any priest she had ever seen in her life. Her eyes scrutinized the large scar that started in the middle of his left cheek slashing downward at a vertical angle to the corner of his jaw by his earlobe. Her fingers curled around the edge of his cassock while her other hand hooked around his muscular neck to hold on tight as his steps became even faster when there was a ruckus behind them of numerous hurried footsteps and more shouting.

"Stop or we'll shoot!" one of the male voices warned him.

Shoot? Cops? They were at the city morgue after all so of course police had been close by. But why were they trying to stop the priest from taking her when she was alive. Had she been...dead? So how could she be alive now? What was going on?

"What's happening?" she asked, pressing her face into his shirt. Her belly ached. A ravenous hunger seized her. She felt as if she did not get something to eat she might die - again. Her veins were like the desert; dry, desolate, and burning with the heat of a thousand suns. A rhythmic booming sounded in her ears like timed explosions detonating. Gasping in shock, she realized it was the beating his heart under ear. Her body spasmed with an appetite that demanded to be sated. Thirst. Want. Hunger. Need. She groaned in agony, hanging onto the man who held her tightly in his muscular arms.

There was a loud pop like a fire cracker. A whizzing sound and a faint puff of air moved across the crown of her head. A scent, heavy, savory, and slightly metallic, flooded her nose. Closing her eyes and lifting her nose to get a better whiff of the smell, her mouth began to water as the luscious scent of blood overwhelmed her. Opening her eyes, she saw that there was a small cut on his neck, presumably where a bullet had grazed him. The emptiness of her body cried out to her, begging for relief. The excruciating need was destroying her rationale. Instantly she was driven by basic instinctual need as she watched the gorgeous crimson flow ooze from the minor injury. Squeezing his neck with her fingers and clutching his beefy shoulder to pull herself upward, she acquiesced unquestioningly to the desire to lick the blood. The tangy richness coated her tongue, making her moan from its abundant delectable flavor. Her body responded by tormenting her with tortuous abdominal cramps. More. She wanted more. Licking over the cut again, she received another taste but it was thinner, less satisfying as the blood was beginning to clot and dry from the insignificant damage. She pressed her lips to his neck, sucking at the wound to make more blood flow.

"Eva, don't," he admonished her as if she were a naughty child. His stringent, commanding tone made her stop. The large hulking mass of priest did not even break stride as he turned to ram his shoulder into the door barring their way to freedom. The metal door flew open to land with a bang against the sides of the brick building. One door creaked miserably before dropping to the side to hang off of the bottom hinge at an angle because the top one had been burst into pieces.

Shame and fear settled into Eva's heart. What had she done? She had tried to drink this man's blood. _Blood!_ Pressing the back of her hand to her mouth, she was unable to suppress the impulse to gag. But she still wanted it. _Needed_ it. "Oh, God," she sobbed, once again clinging to him like a helpless frightened child. "What is happening to me?"

"What is happening to you in nothing of God, my child," he corrected her, pausing to open the door to his car to shove her into the front seat. "A damned demon has done this to you." He would need to get her to the church quickly. There they would find sanctuary, a safe haven for her from all danger from man or beast.

Slowly the memory of how she died came back to her, like a photo album flipping its pages in her mind. A tall thin man wearing a blood-red hat and jacket. His naked body on top of hers, him inside of her. His teeth. Fangs. Long and sharp like a...like a vampire. Eva leaned forward, holding her head in her hands. She could not stand to see anymore. Hellsing. The godddamned Hellsing guard dog had done this to her. "Bastard. Damn you to hell, you bastard, Alucard!" she screamed, gripping handfuls of her hair put stopping short of jerking it out by the roots. Tears flowed down her face: scalding, acrid tears that attested to her demoralizing regret and desire for vengeance.

"There, there, my angel," the priest cooed, his heavily accented voice like a healing balm to her frayed nerves and confused mind. He wrapped his fingers around her upper arm, pulling her across the seat to hold her against his body as he sped off into the night. St. Catherine of Alexandria's Church* awaited to welcome them and shelter them. No one could touch them there, and he could tend to his new protégé.

Eva sank into him, crying her tears while emitting pathetic wails of grief until her tear ducts were as empty as her body. Wiping away the remains of her mourning from her face with a corner of the sheet that surrounded her body, she stared at the road ahead in the jaundiced illumination of the headlights. The sound of the road beneath the tires made a pleasant, static white noise that began to lull her to sleep. A raindrop, then another, hit the windshield. Soon there was a steady pitter patter of the drops on the glass. Watching them hit the windshield and splatter before being carried away by the windshield wipers became hypnotic making her even more drowsy.

"Father," Eva mumbled, finding a more comfortable position for her head on his muscular arm. She felt weary and weak although she had been sleeping, dead as a matter of fact, for three days. Coming back to life had sapped what little energy she had possessed. Such a feat was bound to take quite a bit of power to accomplish so it should be no surprise that she was depleted and exhausted.

"Sleep, my child. We will be there soon."

"All right."

Father Alexander Anderson reached up to pat her cheek. "Rest. You need your strength. Your real battle has not yet begun."

~...~

Alucard sat at the opposite end of the lengthy formal dining room table from his master Sir Integra Hellsing. He was far enough away that his senses would not be assaulted with the sight or smell of the human food, but he was close enough to still be considered her dinner companion. Leisurely sipping on the blood that he had poured into a long-stemmed glass, he savored the red liquid as if it were a fine wine. This blood had belonged to a middle-aged female, a vegetarian, full of vitality due to her diet. Some women truly were like a fine wine and got better with age. Eva had been a carnivore. Her blood had been hearty, satisfying, and impeccable. He licked his lips. The taste of her exquisite blood still lingered in his mouth three days later. She had been exquisite, gratifying his lust for her blood and her body. He shuddered from recalling the pleasure she had brought to him on both levels. Leaning back in his chair, he held the glass to his lips to drink the blood that was a sad substitute for the blood he had received from his sweet Eva.

Integra studied the vampire as he drank his daily blood ration, noticing his eyes held the glassy sheen of a man who was lost in sexual musings. The lazy, lecherous grin was further proof of what was going on in his mind. Father Alexander Anderson had once referred to Alucard as a tame vampire which could not be further from the truth. Irritating as a rebellious child and as reliable as a philandering husband, Alucard was anything but tame. He offered her the occasional semblance of control only to swiftly pull it away by giving her a painful reminder that he and he alone was in charge of himself. She set her fork down beside her plate having lost her appetite. Reaching into the hidden pocket of the black vest she was wearing, she extracted the cigar she had been reserving to enjoy after dinner. Producing a lighter from her pants pocket, she lit the cigar and took a calming draw before blowing a large billow of smoke into the air.

"Alucard," she called to gain his attention. Glaring at him through her round lensed, golden rimmed glasses, she questioned him bluntly, "What have you done?"

"What?" he inquired in return, squeezing the remaining contents of the plastic blood bag into his glass. "I have done nothing, Master."

"Don't humor me by telling me what you think I want to hear!" she yelled, jumping to her feet and slamming her fists down on the table. Her pale blue eyes flashed with anger as she glowered at the creature who was lying by blatant omission. "What have you done?"

"Sir Integra!" Walter exclaimed, raising his voice in a very uncharacteristic manner.

"Yes! What is it?" she bellowed furiously, turning to see the thin man appear at the door of the dining room.

"A woman's body was just just stolen from the city morgue," he informed her in a much calmer voice.

"And just how does that concern us, Walter?" she demanded irritably, casting an accusatory glimpse at Alucard whose face was suddenly devoid of the smug grin. She reluctantly shifted her eyes back to the Shinigami Butler standing at the door. He appeared as if he were ready to make a fast exit once he delivered his news.

"The woman was believed to be the victim of a vampire," he announced, taking a step backwards to stand just outside the entrance. Lowering his eyes then shifting them to the right so Integra would not notice, he glimpsed in the direction of Alucard who pretended to have heard nothing but his lips that were turning down into a frown said otherwise.

"A vampire you say?" Her anger rose so drastically that spots of red coloration appeared on her darkly tanned cheeks. She reached for her companion that was more trustworthy than the vampire in her presence; the gold-plated Beretta she kept strapped to her side. Usually it was for protection. Although it would not kill Alucard if she shot him, at least it would hurt like hell.

Alucard remained nonplussed, boredly sipping the contents of his glass as if he were enduring a mediocre wine instead of second-rate blood. He could feel Integra's icy blue eyes boring hot holes of anger through his skull.

"What else, Walter?" Integra growled through her clenched teeth, looking at the butler because the sight of the vampire was making her feel ill she was so furious.

"Ma'am, at precisely eight twenty-six tonight, Father Alexander Anderson was spotted taking her body from the coroner's office. The police were unable to stop him," he announced, adjusting his monacle. After bowing to signal he was taking his leave, he walked away to attend to urgent matters elsewhere in the manor.

Integra flinched when she heard glass shattering. Her head whipped around so she could see Alucard, but there was nothing but empty air where he had been. The chill night air blew in through the broken window. The dining room was on the second floor of the mansion. The dumbass could have at least opened the window instead of crashing through it. Dropping heavily into her chair, Integra leaned her head back, closing her eyes as a headache blossomed across her forehead.

"Alucard, you bastard," she murmured to herself. She could only hope he did not make the problem worse by running after the monster he had made - and the monster who now held her in his clutches.

Once Alucard reached the morgue and picked up Eva's scent, he morphed into his hellhound form to find her. Although he was running as fast he could, he would not be able to run fast enough to find her tonight. The raindrops began pelting him, soaking into this thick fur, making his body heavy. Not only did the rain make it more difficult to move his body, but it was washing away the trail he was following that not only smelled like her but the Monster of God. That was a scent he always hated to have in his nose but he was willing to bear it to find her. Eventually, even the strong smell of the priest was washed away by the rain. He sat down on his haunches in the middle of the deserted road. Throwing back his head, he offered a mournful howl to the moonless sky. Crying out in frustration, he was annoyed that he had allowed the woman to be taken from him. Like a spoiled child, he was angry because his new toy had been stolen. Since it was Father Anderson who had taken her, he would happily kill the priest to reclaim his prize. Although it was not as if he needed another reason to want to kill Anderson. He would find Eva soon enough since he had a connection to her that encompassed her body and her mind. He had taken her body, becoming one with her in the most intimate of ways. That was when he had established the telepathic connection to her mind.

Eva twitched and gasped, awaking startled and confused. She glanced around her, not knowing where she was or who she was at the moment because her brain was so hopelessly muddled. Her eyes began to focus and upon seeing the large man sitting beside her, she screamed in terror before scuttling across the seat to press her back against the passenger side door. It was a fruitless and ridiculous attempt to put as much space between them as possible in the cramped front seat of the car. She slapped at his hand that reached out to her, hissing at him like terrified cat.

Father Anderson recoiled, putting his hand back on the steering wheel. Releasing a heavy sigh, he rolled his eyes heavenward. Dealing with this one was going to be an emotional thrill ride full of the unexpected. She was a new kind of being that had never existed before. Ushered into death by a vampire, tainted and sullied, only to be purified before her resurrection by a servant of God. He had awakened her on the third day of her death before the vampire transformation was complete. Apparently a war between good and evil was taking place inside of her because he had not done enough to remove all of that evil nature within her.

Eva began panting, struggling for air and control of her mind and body. Bewildering, terrifying images flashed through her mind. She could see Alucard's lean, horridly handsome face, his fangs bared and murderous intent in his black eyes. He lunged at her, sinking his teeth into her neck, sending spurts of blood in all directions to fall to the ground like red raindrops. Then her mind's eye created a vision of herself jumping onto the back of the man driving car, clamping down onto his beefy neck with every bit of strength in her jaws. The image was so vivid, the sensation of his firm flesh giving way to her teeth so real, her jaws began to ache. A keening sound - a high-pitched, canine wail of frustration, sadness, and longing - temporarily deafened her to all other sounds. It penetrated her head as if she were actually hearing it through her ears instead of it bouncing around inside her skull. She covered her ears and closed her eyes, screaming in an attempt to eradicate the howling noise from her senses.

The priest had reached his limit of patience. Unable to bear her woeful cries of distress, he seized a handful of the sheet below where she was twisting it together with her shaking hands. Snatching her across the seat, he spoke in a loud thunderous voice, "The Lord said ' Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.'*"

Eva fell silent, slumping forward lifelessly as if she had fainted. The weary priest positioned her next to him, draping his arm across her shoulders before encircling her body in a one-armed embrace.

"Are you all right?" he asked, listening to her labored breathing.

"I'm better now," she answered, her voice barely audible and shaky. "Thank you."

"What am I going to do with you, my poor, lost little lamb?" He patted her on the head as if she were a pitiful child.

"I don't know. I don't quite know what to do with myself," she replied in a serious tone.

Alexander was not sure why, but her response amused him. He chuckled lightly, a deep rumbling sound in his chest that vibrated against her back. A smile pulled at his lips when she sighed in exasperation and relaxed into his body.

"Can I go back to sleep?"

"You can, my dear. We're almost there."

By the time they arrived at the church, Eva was fast asleep. He effortlessly gathered her into his arms to pull her out of the car. The half a dozen or so priests and nuns who acted as caretakers the old church were waiting for him at the front door of the living quarters behind the main church building. The living quarters were twice the size of the sanctuary and able to house up to twenty-four people. There was also a restaurant worthy kitchen, decorous dining hall, extensive library, and well stocked wine cellar. They had prepared rooms for their guests which was where they were leading them.

"We can take care of the woman," the oldest nun offered, attempting to take the sleeping woman from Father Anderson before he entered the room that would be hers.

"Just let her be for tonight," he brusquely rejoined, pushing past her to take the woman to the bed.

"But Father - " the nun attempted to protest before one of the priest's lay his hand on his arm and shook his head. This nun had obviously not met Father Anderson before.

"I'll be staying with her tonight. I need you to bring me food. Preferably a rare steak. She will need to feed when she awakens," he said, his fingertips stroking the young woman's cheek.

"I don't think you should stay here tonight. That is highly inappropriate. Father, what do you mean by feed?" the interfering nun questioned him before the cautionary priest could stop her.

"Sister, please! Go to the kitchen...now!" Father Caution ordered her. His real name was Father Michael O' Hara. He had known Anderson for many years, therefore he knew Sister Mary Margaret Constantine was quickly digging her own grave with words if she dared to offer one more audacious comment. The other nuns and priests took the opportunity to take their leave as well. O' Hara folded his hands together holding them at his waist as was the habit of every priest. "Did Alucard come?"

"No, but he will," Alexander muttered, petting her hair that was splayed across the pillow. "She needs to be ready to kill him when he does come for her."

"I'll call Saint Sebastian's Cathedral so they will be expecting you. You can go there to train her," he advised the distracted man who was busy checking the young woman for any further injuries - as much as propriety would allow.

"Thank you, Father Michael," his associate said, covering the woman wrapped in the sheet with the sheets and blanket on the bed.

"Are you sure taking her was a good idea?" O' Hara queried, tentatively toeing the unspoken boundaries of their relationship.

Father Anderson eyed his cohort severely before answering. "Taking her was a stroke of divine inspiration. Who am I to spit in the face of providence? She could be the ultimate weapon we've been looking for to wipe the face of the earth clean of Alucard."

"The best way to catch a thief is to use a thief?"

"The best way to catch a monster is to use a monster." A wide grin full of teeth and wrath split Alexander's face. "I would know after all, wouldn't I? Because _I am _the monster the church has used for years."

O' Hara backed away, one tentative step at a time. The intimidating giant priest could strike fear into the heart of all men and most beasts. He hurried to his office to make that phone call to arrange for accommodations for Anderson and his unusual charge. Making travel arrangements as well might expedite the process of getting them out of his church.

* * *

><p>*John 4:14, Revelation 22:17<p>

*St. Catherine of Alexandria is the patron saint of librarians.

*John 14:27


	3. Chapter 3

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I just want to say I'm thankful for all of my wonderful readers! Thank you for your support and continued readership. You have no idea how much it means to an author.

* * *

><p>Eva awoke feeling as if she had been asleep for days. In reality she had been asleep for only half a day. Her body ached from head to toe while a tortuous pounding filled her head. She wondered if she was paralyzed since she could not move at all. Listening to the sounds around her because her eyes would not cooperate with her brain's wish for them to open, she could not even give a guess as to her location. The low hum of quiet was occasionally interrupted by the lilting song of a bird. She could hear the rustle of leaves as the gentle wind blew through them. Nature's song filled her ears while the warm breeze caressed her skin. Her body did not feel cold like it did when she was alone before. A comforting heat, most likely from the sun, was seeping into her body to warm her while imparting a pleasant sensation of floating. Her fingers twitched before grasping the sheet beneath her. The cotton was extravagant and silky like the expensive Egyptian sheets she had treated herself to buying just once. Giving movement another try, she eventually rolled over onto her side while dragging the cloud like pillow from under her head. She hugged the fluffy feather pillow to her body. Wallowing in the magnificent bounciness of the bed supporting her, she sighed with contentment. The next sense to awaken was her sense of smell. The scent of fresh-cut grass and newly bloomed roses wafted across her face with the breeze. These were usually pleasant scents, but now they were very close to being sickening in their sheer intensity. She wrinkled her nose in silent objection to the overpowering smells. Then another odor joined the mix. The smell of meat: cooked meat, grilled specifically. The smoky aroma intermingled with the stench of charred blood and nauseated her. But there was an underlying scent that made her stomach growl. The smell was sharp, yet pleasing, with a decidedly metallic edge. There was raw, unsullied blood as well. A rare steak. Her stomach growled again, more ferociously this time, while twisting into excruciating knots of hunger. Opening her eyes, she glanced around at her surroundings without moving her head. She was lying on a humongous king sized poster bed. The posts seemed to reach all the way to the ceiling. Yards of black cloth swathed her body and the mattress like a sea of ebony water. Delicate, gossamer curtains surrounded the bed giving the world a hazy golden glow, softening reality enough to make her doubt she was awake. Then the pain seized her body again in its iron-hard grasp. Her belly tightened and released steadily with stabbing, searing jolts of pain that made her feel as if something were eating her on the inside.<p>

"So hungry," she moaned, closing her eyes as she rolled into a tight ball of misery. Opening her eyes again, she gazed through the filmy curtain to see what lay beyond it. The walls were plain, unadorned, and made of stone. She wondered if she were in a castle of some sort. Locked in the tallest tower perhaps? If she were not in such dire agony, she would have laughed. She was not princess and this was NOT a fairytale.

It was indeed not a castle but the extremely primitive living quarters that housed a few old priests and half a dozen stubborn nuns who remained to care for the abandoned church and its grounds. No one came here to worship anymore but the people of the cloth stayed regardless. Father Anderson had purposely chosen this place as their refuge, their sanctuary from the world and the Hellsing Organization, until he could take her some place further away. There had been no need to explain her presence to the keepers of the church since he was a Paladin of the Catholic Church. He answered to very few people and only those above him in the holy hierarchy. An advocate for God and personal defender of the church against such demonic plagues as vampires, Father Alexander Anderson was known by many names and was, for all basic intents and purposes, famous (or perhaps infamous) among the religious elite.

Eva gathered her paltry strength, pushing herself up to a sitting position on weak arms that shook with the effort to move her uncooperative body. Scooting across the bed to pull back the curtain, she slowly lowered her feet to the floor. There were rough, uneven stones that were cold beneath her feet. Keeping the sheet around her body held together under her chin, she gave the room another careful once over to get her bearings. Across the room, an ornate stained glass window depicting an angel with his wings spread wide colored the floor in tints of the rainbow with the light of the sun that shone through the multicolored panes. A plain, four paned window near the bed had been left open to allow the temperate wind inside. On the opposite side of the room in the corner, a round wooden table with two chairs, along with the man sitting in one of those chairs, dominated that area. She had thought the massive blond priest who had stolen her from the jaws of death had been a figment of her imagination, nothing more than a hero in a dream. His black leather booted feet were propped on the table next to the handcrafted metal plate that was empty. His lengthy legs clad in black dress slacks seemed to go on forever until her eyes finally reached his waist. Her face became heated with embarrassment and excitement as they continued to move up his body, taking in the unexpected sight of his tanned abdomen that really did look like a washboard due to the stacked, rigid muscles. His arms that were folded over his chest were thick and brawny with prominent veins just under his skin. If she had known priests looked like that under their dreary black attire, she might have been more interested in attending church. His pectoral muscles, framed by his arms for viewing like a picture, were defined, smooth, and hairless. A large silver cross hung from a chain around his neck and lay over his heart. After giving his ruggedly handsome face a careful examination, paying particular attention to the scar on his cheek, she noted that he was not wearing his glasses. They were neatly folded and laying on the table. He was an extremely imposing, obviously powerful man who would be terrifying if he were not asleep. She would be frightened and attempting to escape at the moment if he had not treated her so kindly. Since she was not afraid of him, she decided to get a closer look at the man who held the promise of a whole new life for her. Swallowing the sadness and tears, she realized that she could never, ever, return to her old life. She had really liked her life. Alucard had stolen more from her than he could ever repay. Anger flared within her, giving her that extra nudge she needed to get out of the bed. Cautiously pressing the soles of her feet firmly to the floor, she pushed herself to a standing position. She swayed uncertainly on her weak legs then found her center of gravity. Seeing the plain white cotton gown lying at the foot of the bed, she gave the sleeping man a tentative glance before dropping the sheet to retrieve the garment and put it on. As she walked to him, her steps were soundless due to her bare feet and dainty steps. Being a librarian, she had learned to do all things quietly, even walking. She had been teased often by her coworkers because she had a knack for scaring the bejesus out of people by accidentally sneaking up them. They had jokingly dubbed her the Assassin Librarian. Now that she had someone in mind specifically that she wanted to kill, she might live up to that nickname.

Eva kept a wary eye on the man who was still a stranger as she neared the table. She glanced at the plate that was free from the remnants of food except for a pool of blood that had dried onto it. Her mouth watered as the scent of blood, salty and tantalizing, filled her nose. Covering her nose with the back of her hand, her eyes filled with tears as she stifled the impulse to vomit. Despite needing the blood, the very concept of drinking it made her sick. She leaned forward to get closer to the sleeping priest, inhaling the man's scent to extinguish the smell of the blood. He smelled clean; the scent of soap and well water, not the chlorinated city water she was used to, lingered on his body mixing with the smell of the laundry detergent from his clean clothes. There was another scent lurking in the air that she could not quite pin down. It was more of a feeling, a sensing of something, than an actual smell. Whatever it was, the magnetic force seemed like it was reeling her in, making her want to touch this man and be close to him.

"Father," she called, extending her shaking fingers toward him. Her eyes centered on the stubble that coated his square jaw. The hair was a darker blond than his hair and thicker in texture but did not appear to be coarse like most facial hair. Indulging her curiosity, she touched the hair on his chin that was velvety and smooth under her fingertips. "Oh," she gasped, sliding her hand around his face to cup his jaw. She jerked her hand away in surprise and embarrassment when his eyes fluttered open and quickly focused on her face.

"Oh, you're awake," he murmured, removing his feet from the table and unhinging his arms from across his chest. After a stretch, spreading his lengthy limbs elegantly with a not so elegant grunt, he picked up the golden goblet from the table to empty it by drinking the contents.

The cloyingly sugary but acidic aroma of the wine slammed into her sensitive nose like a fist. Eva flinched, turning her head in disgust before backing away from him. Her eyes watered as she watched him pour another glass of wine from the unassuming brown bottle. The liquid itself was rustic, a brownish purple color, and cloudy. Apparently this was a vintage made here at the church itself due its rough, unrefined texture. She swallowed audibly, fighting the nausea that welled inside of her body that felt beyond empty.

"Bear with me, my child," Father Anderson requested, taking a healthy swallow of the wine. "I know you need sustenance. I will provide that for you."

"What...what do I need to eat?" she asked, sliding her hands along the soft gown to press them to her belly that had never felt so painfully empty. She studied him intensely as he reached for his glasses to put them on. She knew what she needed to satisfy this horrible hunger eating her up on the inside. And it scared the hell out of her. How did he plan on giving her what she needed?

"What do you want? What do you crave?" he questioned her, watching her face as her eyes drifted over his bare upper body. Her inquisitive perusal did not make him uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, he found it slightly amusing because she seemed so innocent yet she was staring at him like he was something to eat. Emptying the metal cup of its contents, he set it down on the table. He allowed his upper lip to slide back to show his prominent canine teeth. They weren't exactly fangs like Alucard's but they were definitely longer than a normal human being's incisors. He heard her inhale loudly before he saw her cover her mouth with her hands. Catching her gaze, looking deeply into her eyes that appeared to be a bright gold color, he demanded pointedly, "What are you lusting for?"

Eva dropped her hands, backing away from him further. Her head grew hot, and she pondered the possibility of it detaching from her shoulders to float away into the ozone. Shame inundated her, but it did nothing to detract from her hunger. A loud buzzing like a million bees filled her ears. The droning hum seemed to form a cadence; a rhythm that matched the beating of her heart. Once again, she was listening to the sound of the blood pulsing through his veins. Despite the distance she was standing from him, her nose was still inundated with the spicy scent of him that was like a mixture of pine, cloves, and cinnamon. So hungry...must eat. Her eyes focused on his forearms, watching one of the veins palpitate with the blood flowing through it. What kind of monster was she? What had she become? Closing her eyes, she attempted to shut out the noise but it only grew louder. Opening her eyes again, she sucked in a noisy intake of air to see his body blocking her view. He had moved with no sound, and she had not even felt his presence in front of her. Due to their incongruous height differences, she was nearly nose to navel with him. Looking up, way up, she guessed he must be at least seven feet tall, maybe even taller the way he towered over her. Startled by his closeness, she backed away too swiftly and stumbled. Her body never fell to the floor though because her wrist was safely ensconced in his massive palm, and he was holding her up from falling down. For a second time, he was there when she needed him most, just like he had been at the morgue when her legs would not support her.

"Careful," he chided her gently, pulling her up from her almost prone position. Once she was standing up straight, he picked her up to carry her in his arms as a parent would carry a small child.

Eva felt awkward and weird being carried this way. Despite the bizarreness of him treating her like she was actually a preschooler, she placed her arms around his neck for fear of being dropped when he leaned forward to lower her onto the bed. Unable to move as a disabling shyness overtook her, she edged away a few inches when he sat down beside her. When the bed shifted under his bulk, she pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them with her arms as unease settled into her body. She stared straight ahead at the decorous stained glass window so she would not have to look at him.

"You're still weak. You need food," he told her, reaching up the to the large silver cross that hung around his neck. "You never did tell me. What do you need?"

Eva nervously chewed her lower lip, turning her head to look at him. She watched with great interest as he pulled on the bottom part of the cross, and it slid free to reveal a small but razor-sharp blade that resembled a surgeon's scalpel. Raising her hand to her shoulder to massage the muscles that had contracted painfully, she realized for the first time that she was wearing a necklace. Her fingers slid along the smooth, round beads of varying size down to the cross at the bottom. She fondled the metal object, tracing the delicate details that felt like vines, leaves, and thorns that encircled the cross. Her lips drew into a tight line as he lowered the knife to his huge pectoral muscle. She curled her fingers around the cross, never taking her eyes from the blade of the knife as it pressed into his unmarred, tanned flesh. Her stomach muscles tightened with exhilaration as he drew the blade across his skin causing it to open up. Blood oozed from the wound he had inflicted upon himself. Small droplets formed along the two-inch cut before slowly sliding down to make crimson rivulets on his skin. The stimulating smell hit her with the magnitude that a loaf of freshly baked bread hits a starving man. Her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply, groaning with desire as the enticing scent made a tingle of excitement akin to sexual arousal surge through her body. She inched closer to him, opening her eyes to look at his face when his hand pressed against her cheek.

"I know what you need," he said, pulling the thumb of his other hand across the red flow. He brought his thumb to her lips, resting it on her lower lip. The battle inside of her was evident within her eyes. He could see the wanton need for the blood while revulsion and taboos clawed at her mind. Waiting patiently for her to receive the offering of blood, he told her in a low voice, almost a whisper, "Take it. You want it. You _need_ it. Eva...please."

Eva held his gaze as she warily parted her lips, trembling as he inserted his thumb into her waiting mouth. The taste of the blood hit her tongue, making her moan with gratification. Enclosing his thumb with her lips, she sucked to draw every drop of his blood into her mouth. Then it hit her. The adrenaline rush swept through her body like a tidal wave, washing over her brain to release a large dose of dopamine into her system. Her body felt hot and light as air. She was not sure if she would spontaneously combust or simply take flight. When the delectable coppery taste disappeared, she reluctantly removed his thumb from her mouth. Moving onto her hands and knees beside him, her eyes latched on to the seeping wound on his chest.

"Blood. I want...I need...need," she panted, flattening her palm on the other side of his chest to support herself. Sticking out her tongue, she lapped up the red trails that had reached his abdomen.

Alexander unexpectedly found himself in the clutches of something he did not know could affect him. Observing her licking the blood from his belly, a film of sweat oozed out of his pores across his forehead and under his nose. Feeling her tongue making long strokes upward to move closer to the open flesh caused an uncomfortable swelling to occur between his legs. He found it distressing that he could be effected by such base fleshly desires. Shifting under her, he grunted when the fingernails of her hand on his chest bit into his skin with a stinging sensation as if to warn him to be still. He groaned in discomfort from being clawed yet something like pleasure raced through him when her lips covered the gash and she sucked - hard.

"You need to replenish what was taken from you. When you awakened, you threw up what remained of your blood. It was the paltry amount that Alucard had allowed you to keep so you could be raised again," he explained, sliding his fingers into her silky soft hair to hold her lips to his chest. He had hoped talking would distract him from the vexing erection that had unexpectedly occurred. Looking into her eyes that looked like molten gold just taken from a fiery furnace, he urged her, "Take it. Drink my blood."

Eva held his gaze, noticing that his eyes were a striking forest green color since he did not have the obstacle of his glasses in the way. Tears formed in her eyes as her body attempted one last time to revolt against her, gagging on her newly acquired taste for blood. Her body began to shudder so violently, the whole bed was shaking. Raising her mouth from his chest, she wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "Father...wh-what am I? What have I become?" she asked without waiting for the answer. "I'm frightened. I'm scared of what I am becoming." Lowering her lips back to his chest again, she licked across the cut to remove the blood that had beaded there to reach the fresher blood underneath. His skin was so satiny soft under her lips; his blood warm and thick, full of flavor like an expensive and well prepared cut of beef. Oh, my god...he was food for her. After swallowing the mouthful of blood she had extracted from him, she moaned like a woman who was receiving great physical pleasure from a man - and not just by drinking his blood.

Alexander Anderson gasped, thrusting his other hand into her hair. He gathered fistfuls of her lustrous light brown waves into his palms, holding her lips tightly to his chest. This was not what he had expected. He had been not been anticipating pain and certainly not arousal. The tortuous agony of sexual hunger that would wreaked havoc on his body. It enabled him to sympathize with her irresistible thirst for blood. The experience of being a food source was intimate and erotic like being taken by a lover for the first time. The pain he did feel was fleeting and seemed to heighten the bliss that followed closely behind. He had never felt the carnal pleasure of being with a woman. Never having had the desire to breach his priestly vows until now, he was beginning to find this whole encounter to be a type of hell on earth. And he had been to hell and back many times in his travels and trials of dealing with all of the demonic creatures running free and unchecked on God's green earth. Another moan tore from his throat as her teeth sank into his flesh to increase the flow of blood from the wound. She did not have sharp incisors to easily pierce his skin so it was sheer agony. He should not be feeling pain at all so this perplexed him. Apparently her physical strength was already increasing. The irritating throbbing below tormented him physically and mentally. Once again, in hopes of diverting his thoughts from his present affliction, he began to talk to her. "If I had not found you, you would have become like him. A vulgar degenerate. A vampire. But I'm going to make you into something sanctified." He paused, pulling her away slightly after she bit him. When her teeth parted and her tongued moved over his skin to receive the nourishment she so greatly required, he relaxed his hold on her head. Usually impervious to pain, it shocked him that she was actually able to hurt him. Of course, she was no longer a mere human. "They blood you will receive will be pure and consecrated. I won't allow you to become a dirty, polluted vampire like him. You will be hallowed, righteous...set apart for God's work." Miserable and tortured, he struggled with the dual agony she was inflicting upon him: the bruising pain of her gnawing teeth and the carnal yearning he selfishly wished to satisfy. Keeping his divine appointment in the forefront of his mind to combat the temptation, he continued to speak. "You will be..." He panted, struggling for control as the hunger within him threatened to make him lose his resolve. The room unexpectedly began to spin out of control. He was sweating profusely despite feeling cold. His thinking became incomprehensible and muddled. She had taken enough blood, possibly too much, from him. Pushing her away, he stared at her while trying to calm his body and mind that was spiralling out of control due his almost unbearable craving for her and the blood loss he was experiencing. He held her gaze that was disturbing in its lack of emotion. Her eyes were dead, blank - holding an absolute nothingness. She growled at him, her lips drawing back from her blood covered teeth. They were still normal human teeth. She wanted more, and she meant to attack him to get it. Cupping her cheek with his large hand, he watched her remove the blood from the corner of her mouth with a flick of her tongue. He breathed a sigh of relief when her eyes slowly regained their normal greenish gold coloration. She once again bore the tortured expression of a woman thoroughly confused by what she had become and terrified of that creature in her hazel eyes. "I will not allow you to become like Alucard," he promised her, noticing that she visibly recoiled when he spoke the vampire's name. "You will be an avenging angel. You are my angel." Pulling her forward, he embraced her affectionately. "I'll sustain you as long as I can, but I'll have to find you another source of food soon."

The tears that had been building in Eva's eyes overflowed and trickled down her cheeks. Bewildered and frightened by herself and her new life, she sobbed in mourning for who and what she had once been. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his.

"I need you. Please don't ever leave me alone like he did," she begged, hanging on to him the huge priest like he was a lifeboat keeping her from drowning in the uncertain sea of her crazy new life.

"I will _never _leave you," he assured her, pulling her whole body on top of his. She was like a child lying on top of him, her feet reaching about mid-thigh on him. All libidinous passion had yielded to a more urgent demand to save her, to shelter her - to protect her from all harm at any cost. For the second time tonight, a deadly sin would bloom inside his heart. He had vanquished the lust that come upon him, however, the covetousness, the greedy inclination for her to be his and his alone, would be a litle more difficult to defeat.

~...~

Eva lay in the bed alone in the dark relishing the feeling of fullness. Father Anderson had allowed her to feed from him again after he had eaten his dinner. Once she had drunk her fill of his blood, she had been treated to a bath full of heated purified water and rose petals to rid her body of the stench of blood and death that had clung to her. She inhaled the scent of her silky skin, sighing with satisfaction. Her new oversensitive nose was becoming accustomed to dealing with the plethora of scents the world offered. Never before in her life had she realized there were so many smells to be experienced. Colors seemed brighter, sounds seemed louder. Perhaps these were all side effects of becoming - of becoming what? That still remained to be seen. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of being content and relaxed.

"Eva."

Eva sat up, looking around the room. Had someone really called her name or was she imagining it? The voice called her again, and this time she recognized it. Alucard. His voice was deep and smooth with a hypnotic quality to it. He was beckoning her with a gentle, spellbinding call. Before she knew what she was doing, she had gotten out of bed to go to the window. After pushing it open, she leaned out to look around. Her room overlooked the side yard of the building. The area was bare of any decorations or flowers but was bordered by a tall hedge. Beyond the ten foot tall hedge was a forest that made her think of the forests in fairy tales because it was dark and foreboding; most likely full of things that wanted to eat her such as the big bad wolf. Or perhaps a vampire. Her eyes easily focused on the striking silhouette that was standing in the small area between the hedge and the forest. Eventually, her eyes were able to see through the darkness to get a vivid picture of the tall, thin man wearing a crimson cloak and wide-brimmed hat.

"Come to me," his voice beckoned, rattling around the recesses of her brain.

Eva backed away from the window because she felt the overwhelming urge to go to him, but she knew she should not. Every cell in her body hummed with energy, stimulated by his proximity. Moving back from the window, she bumped into the bed behind her. She hugged one of the thick bedposts to keep herself from taking a step toward the window. His voice continued to echo in her head, calling to her in a hypnotic chant, inviting her to come to him. Her body wanted to respond by rushing to him so she could be in his arms, to feel his kiss, to be made love to by the vampire.

"Eva! Come to me now!" he commanded her, losing his patience. He had expected her come to him immediately. Her resolve was stronger than he had anticipated.

"No! I won't!" she cried out loud in response since she did not yet understand the link between their minds.

Alucard closed his eyes, rubbing his temples in annoyance. He conjured up the image of her naked body in mind, implanting the thought in her head as well. In the theater of his mind, he took her into his arms to kiss her. His mouth slid from hers, over her chin, and down to her neck. He opened his mouth, pressing his tongue to the enticingly pulsing vein along the side of her neck. His arms encircled her body to bring it firmly against his so she could feel how much he wanted her.

Eva pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead as if to push out the image of their naked bodies pressed together. She shivered because she could feel his warm wet tongue sliding down her neck teasingly as if he were right there with her in her room. The familiar heat of arousal flashed and burst like bomb inside of her. The explosion flowed outward, heating her body and blistering every nerve the fire of craving ignited. A rueful moan passed her lips as the sensation of his hands gliding over her skin stimulated her until she was quivering with need. Staggering toward the window, she looked out to see him standing completely still in the same spot. It was literally all in her mind. But it felt so real. Her body shuddered when she received the vision and sensation of his hands covering her breasts, squeezing them roughly, before his thumbs raked across the nipples. She could feel her nipples contract into throbbing, stiff peaks, straining against the flimsy fabric of her white silk chemise. Droplets of sweat covered her body despite the frigid night air that filled her room. Her body rocked back and forth as she struggled for control, willing herself not to go to him. The sensation of his fingers sliding down her belly made goosebumps raise to the surface of her skin. Down, down, down his hand moved until it slipped between her thighs. Although it was only in her head, it truly felt as if his fingers were sliding between the moist, welcoming lips of her womanhood.

"Alucard, please," she pled with him, this time thinking it instead of speaking.

"Come to me," he bade her once more. His body shook when she called his name, filling his head with her breathy, pleading voice.

Without regard to her safety from the fall or the consequences once she reached her destination, Eva hoisted herself over the windowsill to land without a sound or an injury on the grass two stories below. She ran with the speed and grace of a startled deer across the cool, dew-drenched grass. The branches of the hedge poked her body and the leaves tore at her skin when she charged straight into the wall of greenery separating the church grounds from the trees and her from Alucard. Despite the stinging of the scratches, she remained undeterred. As soon as she broke through the other side, Alucard was on her. He bum-rushed her, tackling her violently to send them both to the ground and tumbling through the damp grass. Once they stopped rolling, she found herself pinned beneath the body of the vampire who had killed her. The white silk chemise she was wearing was soaked with dew and twisted around her waist. The chill night air blew across her bare legs making her shiver. She stared up into the black eyes that glowed red like a dying embers as he held her to the ground with her wrists restrained firmly under his hands. Waves of heat that were almost visible were drifting from his body and sinking into hers, warming her in two ways. She was no longer shivering from the cold but from the desperation of wanting him to make love to her. She quickly became aware that he was straddling her hips, his hardness pushing against her womanhood. A moan escaped her when he moved his hips to rake his body across hers, causing a fabulous swell of pleasure to wash over both of them.

"Why are you here?" she demanded, shifting under him in an attempt to free herself. All she accomplished was raising her hips into his and drawing a purr of ecstasy from him which drove her mad with desire.

"I came for you of course," Alucard answered, releasing one of her wrists. Slashing through the thin fabric of the gown with his sharp nails, he ripped it to shreds to reveal her body. He cupped her breast, stroking his thumb over the nipple that was already rigid. Leaning forward to kiss her, he was assaulted with the stench of roses. It disappointed him greatly that she no longer smelled like delicious peaches. "You smell terrible. So pure and clean. I need to make you dirty again."

"Bastard," she snarled, grasping his jacket with her free hand. She jerked him downward to bring his lips against hers with a bruising force that made their teeth click together. Her fingers pulled at the loosely knotted tie around his neck, dropping it on the ground beside them. She pulled her other hand from his grip with surprising ease. After unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt, impatience got the best of her prompting her to seize the material in both of her hands. She pulled with a vigorous jerk to rip open his white silk shirt the rest of the way. Her hands were on his chest, exploring his lean muscled torso.

Alucard's lips slid from hers, giving her a peck on the cheek before planting a row of kisses down her neck. Since she was still alive, he knew she had partaken in her first feeding. Opening his mouth, he prepared to sink his fangs into the meaty flesh where her neck extends into the shoulder. He knew she would not taste the same since the blood circulating inside her body was not her own. His sharp incisors easily punctured her skin allowing her new blood to flow into his mouth. The taste was like dirt and scorched his tongue. He jumped to his feet, gagging and spitting out the blood.

"Eva! Who have you been eating?" he demanded, glaring at her as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. "That's disgusting!"

Eva smiled in a way that instantly diminished her beauty and turned her into something beastly and menacing. She gathered up what was left of her tattered nightgown in a useless attempt to cover her body.

"Eva! Eva!" Father Anderson's voice carried through the thick night air to reach her.

"You should leave. He's coming for me," she told Alucard, restating the obvious.

"I'm not afraid of him," the egotistical vampire snapped. He spat out more of the offensive, gross tasting blood that seemed to cling to the inside of his mouth.

Eva heard the sound of projectiles whizzing through the air past her head just before four large knives stabbed the ground at Alucard's feet. She laughed, loudly and maniacally, as the vampire bared his fangs and growled like a vicious dog. Before her very eyes, Alucard dematerialized and disappeared like a wisp of smoke in the breeze.

"Eva?" Father Anderson called out to her. For the third time, he had to run to her rescue, catching her before she hit the ground. He saw the bloody gaping wound on her shoulder and scooped her up into his arms to hurry back to the house with her. The way Alucard ripped into her would require stitches. It would be messy, painstaking work to sew up the flesh he had torn to shreds down to the bone. Alexander felt the crushing weight of disappointment bearing down on his shoulders. The vampire still had too strong of a hold on her. He had underestimated Alucard's influence over her. He had overestimated her willpower. Perhaps it was too soon to place such high expectations on her.

"Father, I'm sorry," she apologized, her voice weak and raspy. Her shoulder was ablaze with pain as if acid had been poured onto her skin.

"Eva," he said, his voice slightly tremulous which indicated he was struggling to control his rage. "The Lord's word tells us that 'You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.' *" He hauled in a deep breath to steady his nerves and curtail his rising anger. He was furious with Alucard for coming to take her. He was angry with Eva for being weak-willed. "You must choose, Eva. Who will you follow? Me and the Lord." His face twisted as if the words he was about to speak tasted bad in his mouth. "Or that damned detestable demon, Alucard."

"I - " She was cut off by him shaking his head to stop her from speaking.

"Don't answer now. Think about it. Choose deliberately and carefully." He remained silent until they reached the door to the building. In the dim light of the lantern hanging on a hook beside the door, he could see that the blood had stopped flowing from the gaping wound. It also appeared that the skin had begun to knit itself back together underneath the copious amount of blood coating her shoulder. She had the ability to heal herself. How very interesting.

Eva bowed her head in mortification, unable to look at the priest as he carried her into the house. Once again she had allowed Alucard to charm her. If Father Anderson had not arrived when he did...well, she knew exactly what would have happened. She would have succumbed to the wiles of the provocative vampire and had sex with him right there. He had bitten her a second time as well. At least she did not die another time. Contempt for the mesmerizing vampire took root deep within her soul. She would not - _could __not_- allow him to desecrate her body again. She silently vowed to herself to grow stronger mentally and physically, to become immune to his sly tactics. Glancing at the earnest priest holding her, she was sure her decision would be easy. However, thoughts of Alucard entered into her mind. As much as she hated him, she inexplicably wanted him with an intensity equal to her loathing of him. Perhaps this would not be such a simple decision after all. But it _should_ have been an easy choice to make.

* * *

><p>note *1 Corinthians 10:21<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you everybody for the wonderful reviews! I appreciate them greatly. I am also thankful for the faves and follows. All of these are a wonderful source of inspiration to continue writing this story.

Just a quick note here...as I'm sure you've noticed, in addition to the main OC Eva I'm also bringing in many minor original characters. Since I'm staying mostly on the Church side of things, it has become necessary to add several of these OCs to the story. Some will only be used in a single scene, others might appear again. I indulged in adding a known character, Rio Satomi, from _Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East_. My reason for using him is, I will confess, excessively shallow. Not only is he a priest in that anime, he's freaking hot! I hope the excessive use of OCs does not detract from the story and I will certainly try to not let it take me off course. Please let me know if this happens.

I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

><p>Eva was awakened early, just as the sun was spreading its golden rays across the sky to announce the coming of a new day. Sister Mary Margaret Constantine roughly shook the sleeping woman not caring that she had tangled with the vampiric demon Alucard or that she had only gotten a few hours of nightmare riddled sleep. Eva rubbed the sleep from her eyes using her fists to scrub the drowsiness away. She yawned as she silently watched the tall, thin nun move with the elegance of a ballerina while she busily flitted around the room.<p>

"Get up, child. Father Alexander is waiting for you," Sister Constantine told her, pouring water into the large bowl sitting on the table.

"What is that for?" Eva asked, wrinkling her nose at the dowdy black dress the nun laid on the back of one of the chairs.

"You must wash up and make yourself presentable," the nun said, looking upon the young woman with obvious disgust on her skinny face.

"Why do you hate me?" she inquired, going to the bowl to splash water on her face. The water was frigid and did a marvelous job of waking her up.

"You're cursed. A detestable wretch who will be the undoing of that pigheaded priest who took you in," the woman answered with brutal honesty, handing her a towel.

"I didn't ask to become this, whatever this is. I didn't ask for Father Anderson to come into my life either." But she was very grateful that he had come into her life. Eva looked down at her body still trying to figure everything out. She appeared to be the same person on the outside, but she could already feel the differences on the inside. Laying the towel on the back of the chair, she waited for the older woman to turn her back before she pulled off the replacement gown she had been given to wear last night after Alucard had shredded hers. She had taken two baths yesterday yet this woman treated her as if she stunk like street trash who had not bathed in weeks. She had not come begging at the door for a handout. She had been handpicked by Father Anderson and brought here yet she was looked at like an unwanted visitor. After pulling the plain black dress over her head, she realized it was one like the young women wear as nuns in training when they first come to join a convent. At least she would not have to wear the complete nun's habit like Sister Constantine was wearing. Once she slipped on the black ballerina flats that had been brought for her, she was ready to leave . She could barely wait to escape this woman's hawk like stare full of judgment and hatred. Scowling fiercely at the nun, she paused to tell her one last thing before walking out of the door. "It's _good_ religious people like you that make some people hate God and church people alike."

Father Anderson was standing dutifully at the front door with a small suitcase held in his hand. Eva had no idea what could be in that suitcase. She also knew it was none of her business either. A sneaking suspicion oozed down her spine giving her the impression that she would be better off not knowing what was in that suitcase. Perhaps it was a gift for the Cardinal of St. Sebastian's Cathedral. They were about to leave in a car destined for the airport where a small private plane sent by Iscariot waited for them. In a few hours, they would arrive on the secluded island, also owned by Iscariot, that was home to St. Sebastian's.

The island was also the base of a training center meant for a special group of priests known as the Soldiers of God. Under the church, a large underground lab was hidden so that genetic engineering and human experimentation could take place undiscovered and uninterrupted. The scientists there also built fantastic, high-tech weaponry for the soldiers. No army could be left ill-equipped especially an army made for the decimation of all things evil. There was also an orphanage on the island. Orphaned children, males only, were found on the larger land masses surrounding the island. Then they were brought there to be raised and trained by the benevolent priests of St. Sebastian's to become the Soldiers of God. The island was like a small country unto itself, not only having its only rules and government as dictated by Iscariot and the Cardinal sent there to keep order, but also having exclusive shops, restaurants, and apartment buildings for the inhabitants to work, play, and live. A bungalow that was a guest house near the Cardinal's quarters would be the temporary home for Eva and Father Anderson. Since she would be the only woman on the island, he would be considered her official caretaker. The house would be stocked with food and even clothing, completely ready for their arrival.

When their car neared the airport, the driver did not get into the busy traffic lane that led to the main terminal. Instead, he veered off the highway, taking a not often used path that led to a gate at the end of the chain length fence surrounding the runways. A man suddenly appeared from the small shack to the left of the gate to unlock the padlock and slide it open so the car could pass through. Eva sat in gape mouthed awe as the car drove right on to the airstrip to stop within mere yards of the small Leer jet that was ready to take them to the clandestine island. She doubted she would be safe from Alucard there, but the point for her going there was so she could be ready for him the next time he came for her. Hopefully, for just a little while, she prayed that she would be free from the lurid yet enticing beast who lurked in her mind, preying upon her both mentally and physically.

"Eva," Father Anderson called out to her, extending a hand to her to help her out of the car. "Let's go. A new life awaits you."

"You've promised me that before," she snapped feeling a bit irritable due to general agitation from lack of sleep and hunger. "What kind of life? Running for my life...hiding in shadows...hoping and praying every day that Alucard doesn't find me to finish what he started? How could it possibly be a good life? Being a monster - " By this time, Eva had worked herself into a such an emotional frenzy that tears choked her and cut off her words. She shrieked when she was furiously snatched from the car and crushed against the big priest's chest by one of his powerful arms.

"I know more about being a monster than you think," he whispered in her ear, feeling her body shaking against his. "One of my many names is the Monster of God. I will show that being a monster is not always a bad thing. Keep in mind that a monster is also a supernatural being. You're better than an ordinary human now. You're stronger, faster, smarter...an intimidating source of power. You can choose whether to be good or evil. By choosing good, you can be the anomaly who brings down the Invincible Vampire, the one who can't be killed." Alexander pulled her head back so he could see her face. She will have to defeat Alucard using more than brute strength. She would have to use emotional warfare to weaken him, making the True Immortal become mortal in a way that would render him susceptible to physical destruction. Watching the tear that dribbled from her eye zigzag down her cheek, he lowered his lips to kiss it away. He continued to press soft kisses to her wet cheeks to rid her skin of the rest of the tears she had cried. He wanted to stop her tears, to keep them from staining her cheeks ever again. After raising his head, he licked the saltiness of her tears from his lips. "Don't cry anymore, my child. I want you to wear a smile of peace and contentment as if it were your favorite garment."

Eva opened her eyes when he pulled her back into the comforting warmth of his embrace. She stared at the sapphire blue sky above them. Puffy white clouds lazily drifted past, pushed along by the same gentle breeze that stroked her face. It was a beautiful day. It was the perfect day to embrace the new her new life, leaving the old life behind to never be remembered again.

~...~

Eva studied the landscape below as the airplane circled around again to prepare for landing on the single runway. The palm trees swayed lazily in the tropical breeze as the plane lowered toward the black top. From above, the island appeared to be home to a lush, exclusive resort. The numerous buildings scattered over the landscape were of a Spanish design in white stucco with red-brown tiled roofs. Rich green foliage galore bursting with eye-popping hues of red, magenta, and yellow exotic blooms accented the exotic scenery. A ribbon of white sandy beach surrounded the island separating it from the shallow emerald-green water at the shore that turned azure blue as it grew deeper. Before arriving here, she had only seen places this beautiful in books and magazines.

As they disembarked the plane, there were several priests waiting to receive them. They were all dressed in the standard black clerical garb that Eva had already grown accustomed to seeing. Father Anderson handed the suitcase he had been carrying to the first priest. His name was Father Eduador Montalvan, a lean man in his early fifties with tanned skin and jet black was just starting to show signs of thinning. She did not hear the names of the other three priests as her mind was wandering. Exhaustion had set in and all she could think about was a nap. The blazing early afternoon sun-scorched her eyes causing her to squint until they were nearly closed. A pounding headache settled behind her eyes as she struggled to block out the sun. She reached out to take Father Anderson by the sleeve, catching the edge at his wrist. Closing her eyes completely alleviated the pulsating pain behind her eyes. When he took her hand in his, she was confident that he would lead her safely to wherever she needed to go. With him leading her, her steps remained confident and unfaltering. Her ears dulled the monotone voices of the men as they talked, reducing them to hushed tones that receded into the background. The sounds that she would have otherwise missed due to their conversation came to the forefront. The palm branches made a rustling noise when shuffled around by the temperate breeze. Twittering birds took flight and chattering animals scampered through the bushes. The sound of the ocean tickled her ears next. It was a static noise in the distance that droned at a predictable pace to smooth out the rough edges of her frayed nerves. She believed that she was experiencing the true meaning of selective hearing. It was as if she could choose the individual sound that she wanted to hear and concentrate on it alone. The haunting cry of a peacock filtered through the air, causing her to inhale sharply. That had been an unexpected sound.

Opening her eyes, Eva found herself in a courtyard that must be the epicenter of the whole island. Peacocks, both albino and the full color versions, roamed free in the open grassy area among the white iron table sets that had been placed in each square made by the intersecting pathways. The paths led to the four most important areas on the island. They had just walked up the path from the airport. Continuing straight ahead would lead them to the expansive majesty of St. Sebastian's Cathedral. The path to the right led to the training grounds, the orphanage, and the living quarters of the priests who called the island home. The path to the left, the one they were walking down, led to the home of the Cardinal. The little four room cottage for them was located in that direction as well. The compact four room house was sat at the very edge of the island. So close to the edge in fact that the ocean was visible from Eva's bedroom window. The other three rooms were the other bedroom meant for Father Anderson, a living room, and a kitchen. A wide porch surrounded the house and hammocks were suspended from the ceiling of the open air porch on the beach side. Apparently the hammocks had been put there for enjoying the sunset while swaying in the island breeze. What a way to end a day in paradise. The sunrise could be admired from the wicker dining set on the glassed in portion of the front porch. Eva pinched herself, crying out in pain when it stung her arm.

"What are you doing?" Alexander asked her, concerned by her odd behavior.

"I'm just making sure that I'm not dreaming," she sighed breathlessly. She jumped when she felt his slightly calloused fingertips graze her cheek on their way to comb through her hair that she had left down to fall around her shoulders.

"Silly child," he kindly chastised her, smiling down at her. His expression was like that of an amused parent, and it softened the hard angles of his severe face. "You should rest. It is important that you be showered and ready for dinner by eight. Cardinal Satomi will be hosting us tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."

"Cardinal Satomi?" she inquired, keeping her eyes on the face of the man who loomed over her.

"Yes, he is the one in charge of this island." The priest paused, dropping his hand from her head that he was stroking as if he were petting her. He moved past her, pretending to stare out of the window across the front lawn of the bungalow. He could not bear to see her face while he confessed something to her. When O' Hara had made the call to Satomi requesting refuge for them, the Cardinal had willingly accepted but not without applying conditions. Alexander was about to have to inform her of those contingencies that must be met and upheld for them to remain on the island. Taking in a deep breath, he leaned against the wall as he prepared to tell her.

Eva's anxiety had risen to a level that was causing her body to tremble. Her fingers nervously twisted the smooth fabric of the ugly black dress she was wearing. Through his hesitation, it had become acutely apparent to her that he was preparing to tell her something that he did not like and that she did not want to hear. Worry sank its roots into the deepest part of her mind getting a solid hold on her already tortured psyche. Her upper teeth caught her lower lip to begin kneading it in an attempt to dispel her growing sense of distress. An unexpected tingle ran across her lip, temporarily numbing it before the tinny taste of her own blood filled her mouth. Gingerly touching her lip, she then glanced at her fingertips to see blood on them. Her fingers shook as she cautiously explored her teeth. Everything felt normal until she touched her incisors. The teeth seemed longer than normal while also having formed a point that was as sharp as a needle. No wonder it had punctured her lip so easily and cleanly. Before Father Anderson could turn to see what she had done, she sucked the blood from her fingers then hurriedly licked away the rest that had seeped from her lip. Her eyes dropped to the floor when he turned from the window to face her.

"We were only allowed to come here if we followed certain conditions dictated by Satomi. The first one is that the responsibility for you would be turned over to him." He watched her, waiting for a reaction. Slowly she raised her head to look at him. Her eyebrows had drawn together with a mixture of confusion and anger.

"What does that mean?" she asked, truly not understanding. She was a grown woman who could take care of herself. Then she remembered that she was no longer exactly human by the most basic definition. Circumstances also required that she be honest with herself and admit that she really could not take care of herself anymore. She could no longer hold a job, rent an apartment, take a walk through the park, or go out to dinner like normal people because she no longer held the ability to be 'normal.'

"It means that whatever you do, any actions you take..." His words trailed off and his eyes met hers briefly before shifting focus to the wall behind her. "It means that he will be the one to answer for any people you kill, any property you destroy, any shame or harm you bring to the Church. You have officially become a possession of Iscariot. You will be honed and used as a weapon to rid the world of the vile filth called vampires. Satomi will be your master and guardian. He will take care of you, seeing to all of your basic needs such as shelter, clothing, and food. He is also the one whose duty it is to make sure you receive the training you need to become a fully functional armament in the Army of the Lord to rid the world of evil."

"Master?" she breathed, physically recoiling from the sound of the word issued from her own lips. She was not sure if the nausea that unexpectedly welled within her was due to the priest's stunning revelation or that familiar prodigious yearning for blood.

"It is his responsibility to assure your obedience to the Church and your compliance with the orders given to you," he told her not halting his words despite her becoming increasingly visibly upset with each word that left his mouth.

"Obedience? Compliance? Orders?" she whispered to herself, hating those words and the meanings they implied. She pressed her hands to her belly, sure that she was going to vomit.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. I am in the same position you are in. You are not alone," he said, bridging the gap between them in two steps. He put his forefinger under her chin to raise it so she would have to look at him. After capturing her gaze, he added, "I too belong to them. They created me. I understand how you feel. You will never be alone. I will not leave you."

Eva forced a smile to her lips. At the moment, she did not find comfort in his words. For inexplicable reasons, she felt the hot, acidic sting of betrayal penetrating her heart. Perhaps she should become accustomed to this heart-rending sensation of being deceived then abandoned. Why had she ever thought she could trust this man? Her eyes slipped from his face to focus on the lily-white clerical collar peeking from the neck of his cassock. That was why she had thought she could trust him. It did not make her feel better that he was caught between the same proverbial rock and a hard place that she had suddenly found herself in. She only cared about herself - what she was feeling and what this meant for her. Besides, it seems like if he really wanted to, he could vindicate himself and exert his independence. Moving her eyes back up to his, she could see his personal torment swirling into a sucking vortex of emotional pain in his emerald-green eyes. Perhaps telling Iscariot to go to hell wasn't quite as easy as she thought. He was just like her; owned like a slave, a servant to be used at their will.

"It is a great and majestic high calling, my dear. Please do not allow petty human pride to hold you back from accomplishing the glorious divine commission you have been given. You were born from death back to life for this. Don't squander a blessing that has been bestowed upon you," he encouraged her. While he had talked, he had lowered his face closer to hers, almost coming nose to nose with her.

Eva blinked slowly, allowing her eyes to close for a few seconds before opening again. Convincing Father Anderson that he had been chosen for a greater and higher purpose in life also seemed to be one of the ways Iscariot had kept a hold on him, keeping him chained to them like an obedient animal. Her mouth opened in an attempt to speak, to hurl insults at him that were spawned by her injured pride. Instead of saying them, she was left gape mouthed to suck in ragged breaths. She attempted to comprehend the true meaning of what her life had become. Her head was beginning to hurt again.

"I need to go lay down," she murmured, hoping he would let her go. Between knowing the truth of her position in this new life and the provocative nearness of his mouth to hers, she wanted to run away because it was all just too much to handle.

"It is truly unfortunate that your life is no longer your own," he murmured, his lips brushing across hers ever so slightly. A prickle of excitement rushed over his skin like an electrical current, raising goosebumps in its path. "We are chosen, set apart for a holy command that is so much more important than ourselves, a single person. We have to put self aside to accomplish a higher goal, accomplishing a heavenly good to bring hope to a sin riddled world."

Eva closed her eyes and her mouth as his breath warmed the lower part of her face while talked. Since he was so close, she wanted to pucker her lips to take the kiss she desired. The way he had explained their predicament made it sound so much better. He managed to make it seem not just admirable but desirable; that they would be heroes fending off the forces of evil. What a load of -

"My sweet angel," he continued without putting a millimeter of distance between their lips. "The Bible tells us that we are to serve our masters on earth as if we were serving God himself because He is the one we are actually serving. The Lord will reward us for the work we are accomplishing here. He is our one true master. Satomi is only a stand in, not your real master. Never forget that."*

Eva placed her hands on his strong jaw. The silky stubble tickled her palms. A reward. At the moment she wanted a reward right here on earth: a kiss. One innocent kiss could not hurt. A kiss to comfort her, to take away her misery. A kiss to remind her that she still retained some semblance of humanity, the ability to experience human emotion and physical need beyond blood lust. She grunted in protest when his mouth moved away from hers to place a kiss of fatherly purity on her forehead.

"My child, I understand certain human frailties still remain within your body. These carnal, sinful desires should not be acted upon. Please do not become a wicked woman by leading me into temptation," he begged her, his voice sincere. He was laying open his heart expressing his own struggle with the same yearnings.

Eva felt crushed under the weight of shame that lightened slightly when he confessed to her that he was also fighting the same internal battle with sensual cravings. She lowered her hands from his face, backing away from him while avoiding eye contact. Without a word, she spun on her heel and retreated to her bedroom. Slamming the door behind her, she locked it so she could hopefully find peace in the solitude. Flinging open the french doors that led to the porch, she allowed the sea breeze to enter her room, bringing with it a gush of coolness and saline freshness. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the crisp, briny air to rid herself of the sensation of being suffocated and feeling trapped. When she opened her eyes, there was a man standing mere feet from her on the porch. He had pale blond hair that fell below his shoulders and clear blue eyes that were so light they were almost colorless. He was wearing a white mandarin style suit trimmed in gold. His light skin seemed to put off its own luminescence as if he were a heavenly being. Could he be an angel? He was certainly handsome enough; bearing an awe-inspiring beauty of sorts that could be considered angelic.

Eva cocked her head, studying him from head to toe. The man did not move. He only blinked occasionally as he surveyed her with the same curious gaze which she was bestowing upon him. His face was kind and impassive, and he made no move in her direction. Obviously he meant her no harm. A childlike inquisitiveness urged her forward to touch him. Tentatively extending her hand to his face, she recoiled when his flawlessly shaped pink lips lifted upward into a tender smile. When the tranquility of the fuzzy surrealism surrounding them remained unbroken, she brazenly reached out again, touching the impeccable skin on his cheek. His skin was soft and warm under her fingertips. She held her breath when he reached up to cup her cheek. Once again, she was not dreaming. He was real; very beautifully, enchantingly real. A comforting warmth flooded her veins, relaxing the knotted muscles of her tired, tense body.

"Who are you?" she whispered, unable to speak louder. She wanted to step closer to him, to encircle his slim body with her arms but her body remained still. He had such a reassuring aura about him; one that soothed her soul, comforting her troubled mind. At the same time, he also triggered something else in her. It was a far less noble feeling in that it amounted to nothing more than instinctual lust. His body seemed to call to hers, awakening sexual need and luring her in an unseen and inescapable way. She was attracted to this man in a helpless, mesmerizing way that reminded her of the way she had been captivated by Alucard.

"My name is Rio Satomi. I am your master. Welcome Eva," he declared, holding the unwavering gaze of her shock widened eyes. Her irises were the most arresting color he had ever seen. Their distinctive kelly green coloration was flecked with gold and a brown ring surrounded her pupil. Her pupils were beginning to dilate, the black overtaking the colored area. His hand dropped from her face to her shoulder. Leaning forward, he greeted her with kisses: one on her forehead and one on each cheek. He had formed the sign for the holy trinity as was custom for Catholic believers to do but in a very different manner.

In an instant, subservience and duty to this man did not seem like such unpleasant burdens to have been thrust upon her. Being under his dominion, subject to follow his every command, and perform his bidding did not bear such a negative, dreadful connotation. Fearing she might be consumed by the crystalline blue eyes that were plundering the extent of her very soul, she began to pray silently to God. _Oh, dear Lord I fear that you have sent an even greater temptation than Father Anderson upon me. I need your help before I give in and do something very, very evil to this man. Please, PLEASE, deliver me from this temptation. Quickly...*_

An intrusive knock on her bedroom door shattered the spell that had engulfed her. She had come alarmingly close to giving in to the sensual desires that were beginning to outstrip her restraint and common sense. She had wanted to take this man to the bed just a few feet away, rip off his clothes, and do things to him that Alucard had done to her in her dreams.

"Eva, open the door," Alexander ordered brusquely, barely able to contain the urge to beat down the door with his fists. He held his arms stiffly by his sides, his balled fists pressing into his thighs. He promised himself that he would not react immediately when the door was opened for fear he might hit her by accident in his anger.

Hearing Satomi's voice had ignited a raging inferno of jealous fury inside of him. The man was not supposed to be here, and he was certainly not allowed to engage Eva alone. Satomi might be her master and guardian, but he was still her immediate caretaker. Propriety and rules were a constant part of Alexander's life, and he abhorred it when those lines of conduct were crossed. That was one of the many things he hated about Alucard. The vampire had no sense of boundaries, displayed no common decency, and was completely devoid of morals. Being a demon after it all it was to be expected, but knowing that it was an inherent part of Alucard served to fuel his hatred for the vampire. Cardinal Satomi had, and he was giving the man the benefit of a doubt, unintentionally provoked his ire by violating invisible boundaries. As far as he was concerned, Eva was strictly off-limits from Satomi on an intimate personal basis.

Eva opened the door just as he was about to knock again. She raised her arms defensively to shield her face upon seeing his raised fist. When he did not strike her, her body reacted instinctually from what it perceived as a threat of impending violence. Her leg raised, bending at the knee before it kicked straight out to administer a harsh blow to the priest's solid abdomen. She watched in thunderstruck disbelief as his massive body was launched backwards to smash into the wall all the way on the other side of the living room. Cracks appeared on the wall, zigzagging across the white plaster while sending out puffs of dust due to being split apart. "Oh, dear," she gasped, running to the man as he shook his head to dispel the dizzy sensation that saturated his brain. "Are you all right?"

"That was impressive," Father Anderson complimented her, standing up straight. He commenced to beating off the white powder that had settled onto his black suit.

"I don't know what happened. My body just reacted. I thought I was going to be hurt so I - " She halted her babbling when the priest placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. She caught her lower lip under her upper teeth to prevent any more words from falling out. The super sharp incisor poked her lower lip quickly reminding her to resist the urge to bite down with any force.

"It's all right. Actually that is a very good thing. It was no more than your body acting upon the basic instinct of fight or flight when it perceives danger. You reacted in a very, very appropriate manner," he assured her with kindness in his deep voice. He could see the turmoil in her eyes and wanted to keep her calm so she would not have another outburst of physical violence. His belly ached from the force of her kick. The muscles and mass of his body had been able to absorb most of the residual energy driving the blow which had prevented him from actually going through the wall.

"Well, Father Anderson, it appears we have a very interesting young woman on our hands," Satomi said, coming to stand next to them since it seemed they had forgotten about his presence.

"I prefer that you don't have your hands on anything...especially her," the priest shot back in an astounding show of sarcasm.

Eva was flabbergasted by his quick-witted comment. No one spoke, none of them being sure how to react to the flagrant display of insubordination. When the stark humor of his rapid fire retort filtered past the shock, she snorted in her effort to restrain the laughter that bubbled up from deep inside of her. Her eyes focused on Satomi's handsome face that was completely devoid of any emotion except for an unflappable tranquility.

"Shall we go to my home for an early dinner? I'm sure you two must be weary and hungry from your journey. This way you can eat then retire for the night for much needed rest. Shall we?" Satomi suggested, opening the door of the cottage.

Father Anderson moved to stand between the open door held by Satomi and Eva. In addition to giving the man a silent but obvious refusal to leave, he was also purposely blocking Satomi's view of the woman he was staring at. "I believe it would be better if we waited until the appointed hour for dinner. You must understand that Eva needs rest."

Eva reached forward to grab handfuls of her valiant keeper's shirt. It made her happy that he was always looking out for her. Although she had been angry with him earlier, she understood that her situation, and even his own, was beyond his control.

"All right. I will see you at eight o' clock tonight. Good afternoon," he bid them pleasantly before leaving through the door he held open.

Eva lay her head against the huge priest's back, letting go of the breath she had been holding. The encounter had been tense, made even more so when the stubborn priest had all but ordered the Cardinal out of the cottage. After seeing Alexander handle Satomi, a man who was his superior in church rank, she realized that Father Anderson had a way of asserting himself to gain the upper hand while leaving the other person no choice but to back down or risk shame by saying or doing something not befitting to their position.

"Eva, please go rest now. It is important that you not overextend yourself."

"Yes, sir," she acquiesced willingly because she was so tired. She turned back at the doorway of her room to speak. "Thank you, Father."

"I told you that I will always take care of you."

~...~

Satomi's mansion mirrored the man who owned it. Everything was white and gold with the occasional splash of sky blue. It was all so pure and pristine, intensifying Eva's guilt while making her feel dirty not only for her lustful thoughts toward Rio but also the fact that she had been tainted by a vampire. However, if it were not for that vampire, she would not be here on this gorgeous tropical island with the lovely blond-haired man and the overprotective priest who refused to violate his vow of celibacy. She was not sure if she wanted to thank Alucard or just curse him to hell for doing this to her. One thing she knew without a doubt was that she wanted to kill him. She hated him for destroying her life, for destroying her, and forcing this disturbing, unwanted existence upon her. Way down deep she knew with surety that there would be many more horrors to be endured in her future. One day everything she had gone through up until this point would be deemed the 'good old days.' Her greatest fear was that she would be the one who would bring about many of those grotesque and terrifying situations. She sighed, covering her eyes with her hands to block out the sight of the men enjoying their meal while her empty stomach complained loudly.

"Eva, I have not forgotten my pledge to take care of all of your needs," Satomi announced, apparently having heard her empty belly growling in a plea for nourishment. "I promised your friend here," he said, nodding his head toward Father Anderson, "that I would provide for you. I meant that. I will now make the same vow to you."

Eva opened her eyes, staring at the man as he stood from his chair positioned at the head of the table. She watched as he removed his jacket then unbuttoned the wrist of his long-sleeved shirt before rolling it up to his elbow. Standing to her feet, she walked over to him. Her pulse quickened, driving the blood through her body so forcefully it pounded in her ears and made her dizzy. When his fingers wrapped around her wrist, her body became willing and submissive as he pulled her downward while he sat back down in his chair. She was kneeling between his legs while he smiled down at her with a placid expression. Her body shook as she observed him lowering a knife to his wrist. Licking her lips, she waited impatiently as he sliced open the skin to open his veins so they would free the blood she so desperately needed.

"I will take care of your every need, no matter what," the handsome Cardinal promised, cradling the back of her hand in his palm.

Eva held his earnest gaze briefly before her eyes focused on the beautiful red river of life flowing from his lovely light-colored skin. Her eyes flicked toward his one last time to reassure herself of his approval. When he nodded silently and brought his wrist closer to her mouth, she parted her lips to encompass the cut.

"Be prepared, Cardinal," Father Anderson warned him, getting up from his chair. He grabbed his glass and the half empty bottle of wine. He was going to need those. "You're about to get the rush of your life. You're about to feel things and think things that you'll seek God's forgiveness for."

"What do you me-...oh, dear God in heaven above," Satomi sighed as she sucked the blood from his wrist. He quickly found out what Anderson meant when arousal and pleasure streamed through his body simultaneously.

Father Anderson smiled wickedly as he walked out of the door. Although he hated to leave them alone, he could not bear to stay and watch while completely aware of what that man was experiencing at the moment. He knew what thoughts and desires would be assaulting Satomi and that knowledge was killing him. Jealousy made his brain sizzle as he walked back toward the little house that he would be sharing with Eva. He raised the glass to his lips to take another sip of wine but it was empty. In frustration, he threw the glass on the cement hearing it shatter as he latched onto the bottle to imbibe a hefty sip of wine. It wasn't working dammit! The alcohol wasn't numbing the pain that had taken hold of him, sinking its acid coated claws into his brain and heart to burn them. One of the ten commandments says 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.' Eva was not Rio Satomi's wife, or his for that matter, but covetousness consumed him. He was experiencing first hand why jealousy was considered such an atrocious, destructive, and terrible sin. Envy had even found its way into religious and historical infamy by being considered one of the seven most deadly sins known to man. Turning away from the cottage, taking the path that led to the church, he decided he should pray for forgiveness for thinking what he was presently thinking. He certainly understood why jealousy was considered a deadly sin. He wanted to kill Satomi.

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><p>*Notes*<p>

*Ephesians 6:6-8 New International Version (NIV): 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

*1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.


	5. Chapter 5

TA-DA! A midweek surprise for my lovely readers! You all can thank Leyshla for being my cheerleader in getting this chapter out so fast. I did my best to find all of the mistakes. Thank you Chocoholics Unite and catsvrsdogscatswin for the reviews. I do appreciate the vote catsvrsdogscatswin. And as for y'alls requests for a speedy update - wish granted! I hope you like it!

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><p>Eva saw that her hand was shaking as she held out the extra long match to light one of the few unlit prayer candles. The foyer of the church was lovely at night when the only light in the building was that from the flickering flames of hundreds of candles nestled in small red cups. Tall white tapers in the windows gave the sanctuary of the building a pleasant, subdued radiance that soothed her eyes after being in the harsh sunlight all day. Her fingers fiddled with the cross hanging from the rosary beads she wore around her neck. Walking straight to the altar at the front of the church, she knelt down on the padded bench covered in pure white linen. Looking up at the life-sized statue of Jesus Christ on the cross, she studied the incredible details of the likeness carved from wood. From the individual tears on the crucified man's face to the blood droplets trickling from around the wound where the nail held his feet to the cross, the artist had obviously lovingly created each immaculate detail in startling realism. Her hand caressed the wood that had been sanded to a fine, perfectly smooth finish varnished in way that left the statue a lifelike bronze color. Seizing the cross of her necklace, she pulled the beads over her head to wrap them around her hands that she pressed together. Bowing her head, she began her nightly conversation with God. Sometimes she wondered if He even heard her pleas, but she took comfort in the ritual anyway. She liked coming to the church at night when it was empty so she could think and be alone. Her troubled mind found peace here in the silence. Her body, beaten and bruised from the day's training, seemed to heal faster. Before long her aches and pains would be soothed away then the bruises would begin to fade.<p>

Eva had been here for three months. As her fighting skills had increased, so had the distance between her and Father Anderson. An emotional chasm had opened up to separate them, growing bigger every day due to being constantly physically apart. Since she spent most of her day training, and he spent most of the day helping out at the orphanage, they hardly saw each other. The largest portion of time they spent together was at dinner. However, dinner had become a threesome including Rio Satomi who always sat at the head of the table in his house as if reminding them that he was in charge of both of them. The men would eat their meals and drink their wine, discussing church business or Eva's progress while she would force down the blood that was served to her in a crystal wine glass as if it were the finest vintage Iscariot had to offer. She supposed in a very weird way she was in fact receiving the best the Church had to give considering the blood was being taken from willing volunteers among the Soldiers of God. The blood was always served fresh, still warm from the veins of the donor as if they had performed the venipuncture in the kitchen while the other entrees were being prepared.

Eva missed being able to take blood straight from the vein herself. Running her tongue along her incisors that had extended even further down recently, she mused about what it would be like to sink her teeth into a live man, to feel him writhing beneath her as his blood flowed into her mouth. She groaned, the sound echoing inside the vacuous interior of the presently vacant church. Oh, the hunger that tormented her - and not just the blood lust but the lust for a man's body. The succubus that resided inside of her cried out to be satisfied. She had also purposely distanced herself from both men because such an intense carnal craving consumed her on a daily basis. The nightly mind fucks given to her by Alucard served to fan the flames of the constantly smoldering fire of yearning from that creature made for impure, licentious acts. Each night he would come to visit her in her dreams, fucking her (it could hardly be deemed making love) in a myriad of ways that would leave her breathless and miserable upon waking up.

Arousal seized her body at the present moment as she felt the unsettling sensation of being watched begin to crawl up her spine. That familiar and uncomfortable eternal flame of desire inside of her quivered and burned brighter as if someone had gently blown on it. Her body warmed drastically in response to the man who moved closer. A delicate pink blush like the teacup roses in Satomi's personal rose garden spread across her face as a reaction from the heat that filled her body. Satomi had become her greatest desire to sate her lust. Father Anderson had made it clear he would not violate his vows no matter how much she tempted him. She had no choice but to turn elsewhere to even think about satisfying her sinful desires. Besides, it would be more pleasing to seduce the man who controlled them both, perhaps gaining control over him by using his licentious masculine urges against him.

"Oh, dear God, please," she begged, pressing her forehead against her folded hands. "Please forgive me for the lascivious thoughts I've been having about that man."

Eva remained at the altar for several more minutes until her blood began to cool and the swell of desire that had washed over her subsided. She finished her prayer, made the sign of the cross over her body, kissed the cross on her rosary, and stood to her feet. Her eyes once again clung to tortured face of the sculpture.

"Yeah, I know how you feel," she murmured, before turning to walk down the aisle of the church. She did not think much about the door opening in the foyer signaling that someone had entered the building. The priests came and went from the sanctuary at all hours of the day and night so it was not unusual for someone to be coming in. Seeing a man with light blond hair and a white suit lighting a candle caused her feet to become glued to the floor. _Run. Walk. Crawl. MOVE! Get out of here because temptation on two legs has just arrived! _Her brain screamed orders, but her body would not comply. Her pulse quickened as he walked toward her, his patent gentle smile lifting the corners of his sensuous mouth. Life had a way of being so unfair. Or would this be considered life after death for her? Whatever it was, it sometimes hurt like a bitch.

"Good evening, Eva," he greeted her, stopping to stand in front of her.

"Good evening, Master Rio," she returned, bowing her head as she addressed him formally.

"Oh, my dear, I've asked you not to be so formal," he sighed, reaching out to cup her cheek with his hand.

Eva gasped from the skin to skin contact. She wanted to scream and run but also wanted to press her face into his silky palm. Torn and not sure what to do, she closed her eyes while willing her body to be still. The blood was coursing through her veins rapidly, the beating of her heart deafening her. Or was it his heart? Keeping her eyes closed, using her ears only, she turned her head to hone in on the sound. Moving at an almost imperceptible rate, she moved forward to eventually press her ear against his chest. The soft material of his suit under her cheek barely rivaled the softness of his palm that was still pressed to her other cheek.

"You're burning up," Rio whispered, his breath blowing loose hairs across her face to tickle her nose. "Are you feeling ill?"

_I'm sick all right. And only you have the cure. Oh, God..._Eva knew she should not have gotten this close to him but it was too late. She listened as his heart continued to beat at a nice, steady pace without quickening the least bit. He smelled so nice, faintly reminiscent of the same scent that clung to Father Anderson. The aroma of spices ranging from cinnamon and cloves to tangier notes of cardamom and ginger seemed to be a signature scent for the clergymen. She liked it. She liked it a lot. Her belly rumbled and turned somersaults as the hunger seized her along with a sudden peak in carnal need that made beads of sweat exude from the pores of her forehead and under her nose.

"Cardinal Satomi," she panted, opening her eyes to look up at him.

"What is it?" he inquired with concern, noticing her eyes had become a bewitching liquid gold color.

"There's something I want, no, something I need to do," she corrected herself finding breathing an absolute trial. Her fingers clawed at the buttons of the high collar of his suit.

"Whatever you need, I'll give it you," he assured her, his eyes holding hers briefly. His fingers raised to the collar of his shirt to assist her clumsy fingers with loosing the buttons.

Eva grunted like an impatient, starving animal as he slowly undid the buttons. Her hands pushed apart the open shirt to reveal his flawless, creamy skin that covered sleek muscle. The build of his lean body reminded her of Alucard in the way the firm, delicately defined muscles held a raw power, the way they flexed and moved under his gorgeous skin. She pressed her lips to his chest over his heart to feel it palpitate beneath her lips. Her tongue darted out to taste to his flesh that was like honeyed ambrosia under her tongue. A groan of sensual desire passed her parted lips.

"Eva," he gasped, his body shivering as her tongue moved up his chest to his neck.

Eva traced the pulsing artery upwards until she could no longer detect the flow of blood with her tongue. Nipping his earlobe, careful not to use her incisors, she placed her lips next to his ear. "Can I take it? Will you let me drink your blood?" she begged.

Eva could not help herself. She had tasted his blood once, and it was positively divine. She wanted that exquisite taste in her mouth again. What if she could not stop drinking his blood? She did not want to kill him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she gasped, jerking away from him as if instantly breaking free from an evil spell. She ran back toward the front of the church to pray. In route, her long white skirt tangled around her ankles to drag her to the floor. She clutched the rosary beads in her hand as she lay face down on the floor. Her body shook as she began to fervently pray. She hated this, and she hated herself for being this way.

"Eva," Rio called to her, kneeling down beside her. He pressed his hand to her shoulder that shuddered from his touch while she continued her vigorous chanting.

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you," she repeated, her words muffled against the carpet. "Please, please, leave me before something happens."

"Like what?" he asked, taking her by the arm to pull her up. He dragged her to a sitting position on her knees in front of him. Using his fingers, he pushed away the stray strands of hair that had stuck to her cheeks with sweat. "Before what happens?"

Eva looked into his barely blue eyes. If only this man knew the thoughts she had about him, he would not be standing so close to her, touching her, and staring at her with those pretty blue eyes. Her eyes fluttered closed to break contact with his as she fought for control of her body. She slumped forward, staring at the blood red carpet under her knees. "Please, just go before I do something we both regret."

Eva gradually opened her eyes as he pulled her to a standing position with his hands clasped around her shoulders. A yelp of surprise was muffled between their mouths when his lips covered hers. The kiss was short, having an experimental quality to it like he was asking for permission.

"Why? Why would you - " Her words ceased immediately upon seeing the ardent desire for the first time that had been hiding in the clear blue depths of his eyes. She held his face between her trembling hands before she smashed her mouth to his for a greedy, vehement kiss. To her great shock and joy, he responded by kissing her back. She sighed into his mouth when his hands moved to the tiny pearl buttons on her matronly white blouse. She moaned as his fingers stroked her skin after freeing each button to move down to the next.

"Wait!" she cried out when his hands slid across her belly to push her shirt aside. "But we shouldn't..."

"Of course we shouldn't," he agreed, pressing his soft lips to her neck.

"Oh, God," she breathed as flames of desire burned through her veins. When his tongue licked across the madly pulsating vein in her neck, she released a sound that was reminiscent of a howl. "What about your vow of celibacy?"

"I have taken no such vow," he said, pushing the sleeves of her shirt down her arms.

"Don't all priests have to take them?" She slid her arms around his neck, holding him close as he pressed a trail of kisses down her neck.

"No," he answered quickly. His lips moved downward, making a beeline for her breast.

"Isn't premarital sex a sin?" She moaned as his lips grazed her nipple teasingly.

"I'll pray for forgiveness." Rio clutched her hips with his hands to pull her against him.

"But Master - " She cried out, unable to speak words when he pressed the hard bulge beneath his waist firmly against her womanhood. She could feel wetness soaking her panties as he rubbed against her creating a delicious friction that sent small ripples of pleasure through both of them. Her body was powerless to resist him when he lowered her to the floor and lay her back before rising to kneel between her legs that extended around him. She watched as he unbuttoned his pants then tugged down the zipper. Her eyes greedily took in every movement as he pressed his hand against his pubis, the golden blond hairs wrapping around his fingers as he pushed them downward to grasp his erection. She closed her eyes as his fingers pulled at her underwear to take them off. As he lay down on top of her, pressing the head of his manhood to her entrance that was weeping with moisture, she enclosed his neck with her arms. Placing her lips next to his ear, she whispered, "Alucard, get out of my head you bastard."

The vampire's deep, resonant laughter trickled into her ear. His body weight on top of her lightened until it lifted completely. He was gone, but his sinister chuckling still echoed in her brain. Eva sucked in air as if she had been holding her breath for quite a while. Maybe she had. Opening her eyes, she stared up at the bare dark oak rafters of the church that made a pattern reminiscent of looking inside of a kaleidoscope. Using the wide bell sleeve of her bohemian shirt, she wiped the sweat from her face. Her skirt had become wrapped around her waist due to her writhing like a snake during her mental tangle with Alucard masquerading as the handsome Cardinal. That was the first time he had overtaken her while she had been awake. Or had she fallen asleep while praying which had allowed him to invade her mind? She rolled onto her side, slamming her fist onto the carpeted floor in frustration. He had intruded upon her last sanctuary, the one place where she thought she could hide from him. Pushing herself up, she stood to her feet to untangle her floor length skirt. There was no escape, no place she could go to be free from him.

"Eva? Eva!" Father Anderson bellowed as he threw open the back doors of the church. He was relieved and somewhat angered when he saw her standing in the middle of the aisle near the altar.

"Father? What are you doing here?" she asked calmly, staring at the man as he reached her in a just a few steps with his extra long strides.

"What happened to you? Are you hurt? Are you in pain?" he inquired, looking her over as he held her by the shoulders. Her face was pale, and she was sweating as if she were running a fever. Pressing the back of his hand to her forehead, she felt as if she were about to explode into flames. Sweeping her up into his arms, he ignored her protests as she squealed and pushed against his chest like a rebellious child wanting to be put down. "Stop it!" he fussed at her, shaking her roughly when she nearly pushed herself out of his arms. He had been worried about her and rightly so. It was after midnight; long after her usual bedtime of eight o'clock. She shouldn't have been here in the church praying since she was sick. Carrying her into the bungalow, he took her straight to her room. He gently sat her down on the bed, although he felt like dropping her since she was being a brat. "I'll be right back," he told her with a warning tone in his voice. "I'm going to get you a glass of water and a cold cloth. Don't you move."

Eva folded her arms over her chest, pouting shamelessly. When he returned, she eagerly reached for the glass he held out to her. Her throat was parched, and she felt positively dehydrated. Chugging down the cold, refreshing liquid, she ignored the tiny rivulets that formed at the corners of her mouth. The water ran down her neck, soaking into the thin cotton blouse that became transparent due to it being white. Using her sleeve as a cloth again, she wiped the water from her mouth and chin. She jumped, wrenching away from him when he pressed the cold cloth to forehead then her cheeks. She was still stuck in the flight mode of the defense mechanism that her body had been thrown into by the unwelcome visit of the vampire. Edging back across the bed toward the priest, she closed her eyes and lifted her face as if telling him "okay, I'm ready now" so he would bathe her face with the wash cloth he had just dipped in the bowl of water of he brought with him. She sighed gratefully as he ran the cooled wash cloth over her cheeks again. Taking the cloth from him, she pressed it to her whole face with both of her hands. It felt so good to her hot skin.

"Was it Alucard again?" Alexander questioned her, taking the hot wash cloth from her to cool it in the water. He busied himself with dipping the wash cloth in the bowl as she scooted past him to get off of the bed. His eyes followed her as she crossed the room to the white pine dresser. Although her back was to him, he could see her reflection in the mirror. Watching her open a drawer and pull out a plain white t-shirt, he continued to observe her as she grabbed the bottom of her shirt in preparation to pull it over her head. His eyes remained on her as the milky white flesh of her flat belly was revealed. He did not look away until the round undersides of her breasts appeared when she reached upward to completely remove the shirt. Wringing out the wash cloth, he kept his eyes on the water droplets as they fell back into the bowl to make ever-widening rings in the water in the dish.

"Yes. It was him. It's always him," she muttered testily, crawling past Father Anderson to sit between him and the wall next to her bed. She had removed her skirt as well in exchange for a loose white flannel pair of shorts. Every article of clothing Satomi had supplied for her was white as if he was reminding her that she was to stay pure and clean. "How will I ever be rid of him? I'm so tired of him messing with my head," she sighed, sliding between the sheets to lie on her back. "I'm sick of him torturing my body."

Father Anderson flinched, nearly flipping the bowl of water off of the nightstand with his knee as he turned to press the cloth to her face. Reaching back with his hand, he was able to prevent a big mess by grabbing the precariously tipping bowl. He twisted back around to look at her, flinching inadvertently when he saw her staring at him with her intense greenish gold eyes. "What is it?"

"Father, I can't stop these...cravings. I want it so badly." She bit her lower lip, closing her eyes as he dabbed the cloth to her face.

"You can fight this, Eva. Don't let him get the best of you. The Bible says-"

"Father," she snapped, grabbing his hand that was pressing the cloth to her cheek. She pushed it down, keeping her hand on his wrist as her eyes held his captive. "I know what the Bible says. Unfortunately, it doesn't tell me how to deal with the longing...the ache...the need." She sat up, moving closer to him until her hip touched his knee that was bent toward her. Her fingers slid along his jaw, pushing against the soft stubble before gliding into the short hair at the back of his neck. "No amount of scripture can make me stop wanting it."

"Eva, don't...please." Father Anderson cleared his throat, rising from the bed and sliding out of her grip. She had unwittingly been trying to hypnotize him, to seduce him. He knew how she struggled with lust. At night he could hear her in her room, moaning and howling as if she were having sex instead of enduring hyper-realistic dreams. Many times he had been tempted to go to her, to violate his vows and her body, to feed the appetite that both of them shared. He opened the french doors so the brisk ocean air would help cool them both off. Leaning against the door frame, he tried to come up with some profound, sage advice to give her on how to deal with the lust growing inside of her. Actually, he would like to have someone give them both the answer as to how to deal with not only their physical wants but emotional needs as well. He loved her. He loved her in a way that went beyond the platonic relationship he strived to keep sacred between them.

"Father," she whispered, sliding her arms around his waist from behind him. She pressed her face into his back as she embraced him. Although his body stiffened in her arms as if resisting her touch, she did not let him go. The smell of cinnamon and cloves inundated her nose. She inhaled deeply, allowing the heady fragrance to make her feel light-headed. "I love you."

"Eva..." he mumbled, taking her by the arm to pull her around in front of him. He gathered her into his arms for a proper embrace. Dangerous, so very dangerous. Sliding his hand through her hair, he brought a handful of her lustrous caramel waves to his nose to take in her lovely scent. Since coming to the island, she smelled like a mixture of the crisp salt air and the night-blooming jasmine that grew outside her bedroom window. The delicate white petals opened to the moon every night to release their heavenly scent.

"I do, Father, I can't help it. I love you!" she cried out, nuzzling her face into the folds of the cotton shirt he was wearing. It was rare to see him out of the priestly garments, but at the moment he was wearing a t-shirt and a plain black pair of pants. She remembered that first morning she had seen him - wearing no shirt at all and sound asleep sitting at that table. Her hands tugged at his shirt, lifting the hem until her hands were able to touch his bare back. The skin to skin contact was so pleasant, so addictive. She pressed her open palms to either side of the small of his back before sliding them upwards.

"Eva," he murmured, burying his nose into her hair. He liked the sensation of her skin against his. Her running her hands up his back was making his heart beat against his ribs with excitement. Risking putting them in an even more perilous situation, he raised his arms from her body to grab a handful of the material behind his head to jerk it free from his body in one pull.

"Alexander," she said, looking up into his eyes. She balanced her chin against his sternum, feeling the vibration of his wildly beating heart thrumming through the bone. Her eyes looked into his that had become black as the pupil had dilated and overtaken the green iris. A knowing smile curled the corners of her lips.

"You've never called me by my first name before." He used his forefinger to trace her lips. "I like the sound of it coming from your mouth." He held her body against his, mostly feeling the soft cotton of her t-shirt next to his skin. When she shifted from one foot to the other, he felt the stiff peaks of her nipples through her shirt as they scraped across his skin. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips when she pressed her cheek to his hard abdomen that quivered as she hugged him. "Your temperature has gone down. Are you feeling better?"

"Much better now," she murmured, relaxing her embrace but leaving her arms draped around his big body. She kept her cheek pressed to his skin, staring out into the night. Her eyes could clearly see the white petals of the jasmine flowers as they fluttered in the gentle breeze. After gnawing on her lips anxiously, she swallowed the lump in her throat and asked the singular question that had been plaguing her mind since she had confessed her true feelings for him. "How do you feel about me?"

"Why, Eva, don't be such a silly woman," he scoffed, trying to avoid answering the question. He was not sure if admitting how he really felt about her would be good for either of them - especially considering their present physical entanglement. "Of course I care deeply about you."

"I know. You wouldn't take such good care of me if you didn't. But Father..." She lifted her head from where she had rested it on his abdomen. "Do you think you could ever love me?"

Father Anderson ran his fingers through her soft hair again. He paused at the end to twirl one of her loose curls around his fingers. His eyes met hers that were so open, so honest, pleading with him to say it. He already loved her, but saying those three little words she longed to hear might be devastating to them both at this moment. He feared it would crush his flimsy modicum of willpower, thereby allowing him to take her, lay her on the bed, and show her how he felt about her. Continuing to toy with her hair to hide his nervousness, he held her close to him until she lay her head back down on his belly. "Oh, I definitely think I could love you."

"Good," she breathed as a feeling of absolute serenity covered her. Drowsiness tugged at her, wanting to drag her down into sleep. "Father, will you lay with me until I go to sleep?"

_NO! Don't you dare do it!_ his mind warned him but the adamant warning went unheeded. He led her to the bed waiting for her to lay down before he positioned himself next her. Tucking her in under the covers, he lay on top of them beside her. The thin barrier might not do a lot to hinder his attempts to get to her should his restraint fail, but it might slow him down enough to allow him to regain control of himself. His arms moved around her shoulders after she fitted the upper portion of her body to his side, laying her arm over his waist.

Eva could feel the muscles of his abdomen flexing under her arm. She imagined lying on top of him, her body molded to his, her womanhood firmly pressed against the rock hard erection that was straining against his pants. "Father?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"Is masturbation a sin?"

"Wh-what?" he stuttered, every muscle in his body clenching at once. He had to resist the natural urge to flee upon hearing such a shocking and salacious question.

Eva giggled wickedly from his adverse reaction. Her body screamed for sleep, overpowering her need for sex at the moment. She decided it would be best to answer her body's call for rest. "Never mind. I'm sorry I brought it up. Good night, Alexander."

"Good night, Eva." Father Anderson smiled, staring at the ceiling. He really did love the sound of his first name when spoken in her voice. He liked the familiarity, the way she seemed to savor each syllable as it passed between her lips. His eyes watched the shapes of light on the ceiling; the white light from the moon as it wrestled with the blackness it attempted to dispel. Back and forth, the light and dark waved, performing a dance as they tried to defeat the other. He felt that same battle raging inside of him - good and evil at war. He wanted to be good, to uphold his priestly vows, and to be the father figure Eva needed. But then, there was a part of him who wanted to renounce the priesthood, to defy Iscariot. He wanted to take Eva away, to make her his wife and love her openly. He also wanted to satisfy every yearning he held for her while fulfilling her obvious need and desire. To hear her moan his name in ecstasy as he made love to her would be the most glorious sound he had ever heard, like a choir of angels singing just for him. Listening to her breathing as it became deep and rhythmic, he carefully untwisted her limbs from his body. Leaning over her, he kissed her forehead before whispering in her ear, "I love you too, Eva."

* * *

><p>Once again, hit me with any likes, dislikes, questions, concerns, whatever this chapter brought to mind.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Eva sat in her chair at breakfast the next morning drinking her ration of blood as casually as if it were a glass of tomato juice. She hated the taste of this particular priest's blood as much as she detested tomato juice. The red liquids kind of had the same flavor as a matter of fact. Tangy, salty, acidic - she grimaced. She avoided eye contact with Rio Satomi at all costs, despite having full knowledge that it was not him who had attempted to seduce her in the church last night. Temptation had come so close to dissolving her self-control. She had almost given in to the mesmerizing vampire and that filled her with stomach churning guilt. Thankfully, Alucard had given himself away in his uncharacteristic desperation to make her cave in. Sliding a furtive glance across the table at Father Anderson, she smiled while gazing at him through her lashes. She did not regret telling him that she loved him, although he had not said it back to her. Once she finished the glass of blood, she stood up to excuse herself. The sulfurous smell of the scrambled eggs mixed with the smoky scent of the cooked pieces of pig was beginning to make her feel a bit ill. Once these smells had been an absolute delight to her at breakfast time. Not so anymore.

"If you gentlemen will please excuse me, I have morning practice to get to," she announced, curtseying slightly before attempting to leave.

"Please sit down, Eva," Rio ordered her in his typical gentle manner that made it sound like a friendly request. "There is something important that we need to discuss."

"But, Sir, I - " Her protest ended abruptly when Father Montalvan materialized in front of her. She had learned that the stealthy man was a force to be reckoned with and feared. She had not actually been in a hurry to get to training anyway, just out of this room. Between the overwhelming nausea, crushing guilt, and aching yearning, she desperately needed escape from the factors causing these strong feelings to well inside of her.

"There will be no training exercises this morning, Eva," Father Montalvan told her, taking her by the arm to lead her back to the table. He pulled out her chair for her, signaling for her to take a seat without saying a word. After sitting in the chair next to hers, he said, "We need to talk."

Father Montalvan was the priest in charge of training her. Although he did not look like much, being in his fifties with a skinny body and a kind countenance, he seemed benign and powerless. When he was in fight mode, he transformed into a completely different man. Full of lean muscle and skilled in at least four styles of martial arts, he was a human killing machine on two legs. He could use nearly any weapon known to man, and some weapons unknown to man because they had been made in Iscariot's lab. He had taught her how to use several weapons that had been specifically designed for her. The latest addition to her collection was an odd weapon that looked like two small incense burners that had been attached to each end of a chain. The burners could be filled with special incense laced with herbs having different properties to use against specific supernatural beings. Used somewhat like a bola, she could spin the individual burners to throw at an enemy to either hit them or stab them with the heavy brass objects. The burners themselves appeared innocuous enough, looking just like plain old incense burners used in masses. They were round with decoratively shaped holes cut into the sides to release the smoke of the incense. There was also a cross at the bottom that appeared to be for aesthetic purposes but it was actually meant to used like a knife. The cross could be used to stab the intended foe, then pulled back to be thrown again and again to continuously stab the opponent while she stayed well out of reach. When not in use, the chain was to be looped around her neck with the small burners left to dangle on the ends like huge charms on a necklace. Montalvan had taught her how to defend herself, not just attack. He had enabled her to fend off attacks in several different disadvantageous positions such as lying flat on her back or while being held down on her belly by her attacker. He had made it part of his mission personally, and not just as her trainer, that she survive to fight another day after going into each battle.

"Eva, you're about to embark upon your first assignment for the church," Satomi announced, keeping his eyes on her. He wondered why she kept avoiding looking at him. She did not say anything or move one muscle after he told her the big announcement. He did not expect her to be overjoyed that she was about to undertake her first assignment but some kind of reaction would have been nice. Instead of reacting in any form, whether positive or negative, she passively sat there, staring at her hands that were folded in her lap. "Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard you," she snapped unintentionally, raising her head to look at him finally. "I'm sorry, Master Satomi. I did not sleep well last night." She quickly lowered her eyes again when his blue irises made contact with hers. "What is my mission?"

"You will be going to London, England," he began, noticing her head popped back up instantly. Her eyes were big and round as if something had frightened her.

"But that's where Alucard is located. Is it a good idea to put her so close to him on her first mission?" Father Anderson inquired, keeping his eyes on her as she stared at Satomi with her shock widened eyes.

"There is a rampant evil that needs to be stopped no matter where it's located. She would have to face Alucard sooner or later," Satomi said unsympathetically, rising from his chair. He moved to stand behind her chair. "However, Alucard is not her assignment at the moment."

"That doesn't mean he will stay away from her," Anderson returned, keeping the agitation he felt from seeping into his voice. He wondered how Satomi could be so naive. His eyes glued themselves to Satomi's hand as he raised it to touch Eva.

Eva held her breath, jumping when Rio Satomi's hand softly touched her shoulder. She closed her eyes, taking deep measured breaths as his fingers spread out over her skin that was bared by the strapless sundress she was wearing. The day had begun hot with an oppressive humidity. The heat was getting worse indoors as well.

Father Anderson watched Satomi's fingers as they brushed across the scar from where Alucard had bitten her the very first time. His lips pressed together angrily as Satomi kept his hand on Eva as if purposely torturing her.

"The man we are going after is the Earl of Trancy.* We were informed of his actions by the priest in charge of the orphanage in London. The Earl began frequenting the orphanage, adopting several of the boys over the last year. This seemed to be a good thing at first. Then, through the rumor mill of the city, reports began getting back to Father Westbridge that the Earl was abusing the boys, beating them and using them as sex slaves. He had even been known to lend the children to friends for salacious purposes at parties held at his mansion," Satomi informed them as unemotionally as possible. The whole revolting situation made his stomach turn. He could feel Eva's body shaking under his hand.

"Al - uh, Father Anderson," she spoke, her voice weak and raspy. She was fighting back the impulse to vomit after hearing the details of the man they were going to be dealing with. She would happily kill him to save those boys and keep him from hurting any others. Death was too lenient of a punishment for the Earl. "May I have a glass of water, please?" she requested, looking at Father Anderson.

Father Anderson stood up, his chair making a scraping sound across the hardwood planks that set their teeth on edge. He went to the buffet table where the food was laid out, retrieving her a glass then filling it with the crystal clear water from the pitcher. Confidently elbowing Satomi out of the way, he squatted down by Eva's chair to guide the glass of water to her lips. He smiled at her as a means to comfort her when her cold, trembling hands pressed against his to hold the glass steady at her mouth.

"You can have the day off today to spend as you wish, Eva," Satomi told her, walking over to stand at the window to look outside. "Do you have anything particular in mind that you would like to do?"

"Not really. At the moment, I would prefer to go back to the house and rest," she answered Rio before giving her attention to the priest who was still close to her. "Would you walk me back home?"

"Of course I will," he replied, taking her by the hand as he stood up.

"Father, don't neglect your duties at the orphanage today," Satomi called to Anderson as they were leaving. "Eva, please rest. Tomorrow will be a long day for you."

"Yes, Cardinal," she responded dutifully.

"Before you go," Satomi added just as she crossed the threshold of the door.

"Oh, dear God, please help me have patience," Eva prayed under her breath before turning to look at him. He was walking toward her with a big box in his arms. She took the large box, having some difficulty with its cumbersome size though it really wasn't heavy.

Father Anderson noticed her struggling with the gift, taking the box from her to easily tuck it under one arm while still holding her hand. "Will there be anything else, Satomi?"

"No. I apologize for detaining the two of you. I know there are things you must do to prepare to leave. Good day," he said calmly, returning to his place at the window to look over the grounds.

The chagrined expression on Rio Satomi's face made it apparent that he was aware of the prospect he was somehow losing control over his two charges. He had suspected Anderson of possibly rebelling at some point, but now he saw that potential in Eva. If they ever did decide to leave him, he would willingly let them go. A phantom smile lingered over his lips as he watched them cross the yard below, walking hand in hand. He wondered if they knew they loved each other yet. Eva had made little effort to hide her feelings for the priest who had given her new life and protected that life with everything inside of him. Although Anderson concealed his emotions much better, they burned brighter than a neon sign when hovered over her protectively or tended to her needs like a doting husband. Despite his deep feelings, Rio seriously doubted Father Anderson would forsake his first love, the Catholic Church. Poor Eva. Her love would never be completely returned.

Inside the bungalow, Father Anderson stood next to Eva as she opened the gift from Satomi. Inside was her official uniform as a Soldier of God along with her weapons that had been designed specifically for her. In addition to the incense bola, there was a broad sword with a white leather scabbard that strapped to her back and a small pistol whose bullets contained Holy Water. These weapons were intended to be used on supernatural beings, however, they would be equally effective on perverted humans as well. Her garment was a white cassock trimmed in gold that was split up to her hips. There were matching white shorts to wear underneath to maintain her modesty. Knee high white leather boots completed her uniform. Alexander's face grew red when he fantasized about how she would look in the uniform. Somewhere along the way, his train of thought derailed at the part where she was wearing nothing but the boots and a white satin bra and panties set. Clearing his throat, he decided it was time for him to go. If he stayed close to her much longer, there might be trouble for the both of them.

"I'll be back later. Please rest and don't worry. You'll be fine. I'll be right beside you," he told her as he was leaving.

_Like always, _she thought to herself with a smile. Her smile disappeared with a despondent sigh after he left the room.

"Don't worry...sure," she muttered, opening the french doors that led to the porch. The hot breeze hit her in the face, causing her to start sweating immediately upon stepping foot outside. She sat down in the hammock using it as an upright swing to gently sway back and forth. None of them understood her fear, her hatred, or her intense dread of having to face Alucard again. Father Anderson might have a small inkling of how she felt, grasping some modicum of the strength of her mixed emotions. She pushed off with her foot so the swing would move back and forth in a soothing, rocking motion. Soon she was asleep. For once, Alucard was unable to break through the barrier of her mind because her thoughts were too firmly seated on a certain blond priest with a scar; a priest who she loved dearly.

~...~

There were five of them going to free the boys and take care of the degenerate who had imprisoned them. Father Montalvan, Father Anderson, two of the Sergeants from the Army of God, and Eva made up the small army that was going to take by storm the fortress that belonged to the Early of Trancy. These two Sergeants were familiar with Eva having been her two favorite sparring partners during her training. They were brothers by choice rather than by blood. The two men had made a pact as boys to form the familial bond. The oath had been taken during their time as youths in the orphanage and made rock solid as they had grown older. The taller black haired man with violet blue eyes, and a flower shaped birthmark under his left eye was name Genpachi Inukai*. Dressed in a black military uniform with a rigid, strict demeanor, he was the epitome of the perfect soldier. His chosen brother, Kobungo Inuta*, was always much more relaxed in attitude and bearing. He had light brown that was perpetually messy and russet colored eyes. He was wearing a black button down dress shirt and black cargo pants. The only thing that hinted he might be a priest was the silver cross hanging around his neck on a silver chain. Father Anderson and Father Montalvan wore their white priestly garb covered with dove grey cassocks.

Eva was dressed in her white uniform that had been given to her by Cardinal Rio Satomi. Her weapon was draped around her neck, wrapped around once so the loop as instructed so it would resemble a necklace. The sword was sheathed and propped against the seat of the small airplane. The gun was in a holder strapped to her thigh under her cassock. She sat stiffly in her seat, her fingers clutching the thickly padded armrests covered in cream colored leather. She gave Father Anderson a wavering smile, her lower lip quivering, when he patted her hand. Her eyes connected with his just before they were hidden by the glare of the sunset on his glasses. They would be arriving in London long after dark. They planned to invade the manor grounds around midnight.

Father Anderson could see the fear in her hazel eyes. She had not slept much last night. At least Alucard had not been able to assault her in her dreams. His thumb stroked across her chin before his big hand rested on her jaw, covering half of her cheek and part of her neck. He could feel the blood pulsing madly through the prominent artery in her neck. She was terrified, that was easy to see. Understandably so. Although this was going to be the first test of her exemplary skills, even she was aware that she was not ready to face Alucard yet. "You'll be fine," he assured her. "You have all of us here with you. There's no way you can fail."

"I'm not worried about failing, Father. I'll save those boys. Thinking about that old pervert makes so angry, so sick, I would take him on by myself," she said, carefully rolling her lower lip inward to bite it gently. She had learned to be very careful with her new, extra long, and viciously sharp canine teeth. Her fingers began to ache she was gripping the armrests so tightly. Forcing herself to let go, she opened her hands setting them in her lap where she massaged her aching fingers. "It's something else frightening me, Father. It's _someone_ else."

"I know," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "You have the four of us with you. If the hell hound should come for you, warriors with heaven's power in their hands will be ready for him."

Eva loved it when he explained things to her. He made her feel invincible. She pressed her face into his palm, taking comfort in his touch.

"Should we leave them alone?" Kobungo whispered conspiratorially to Genpachi as he tried not to stare at the two people.

"Ko, don't be an idiot," his brother snapped, glancing at Father Montalvan who was reading a book and ignoring the situation entirely. "Besides, we're on an airplane. Where would we go?" He laughed at the expression of confusion on Kobungo's face. The man had always exhibited a tendency to act or speak without thinking; some habits never changed.

"See, they're relaxing and enjoying the trip," Father Anderson said to Eva, patting her cheek before taking his hand away. "You should do the same."

Eva gave him a smile, trying harder this time to make it seem more sincere. There was no way she was going to be able to relax until this was over, and they were safely back on the island - far from Alucard.

~...~

There were two guards stationed at the front gate. Four others patrolled the inner grounds. There were two guards roaming each floor of the three story mansion. All were armed with high powered weaponry including automatic rifles and sub-machine guns. Gen and Ko took out the two guards at the gate then waited for the four grounds guards to come running as the other three people entered the mansion. Father Montalvan broke away from the trio to search for the armed guards on the first floor. Father Anderson left Eva to search the rooms on the second floor while he kept a look out for the guards on this level.

Eva opened the first door, flipping on the light. Two stunned young boys, one about the age of five with black hair and huge blue eyes, the other around seven with brown hair and brown eyes, popped up out of their beds to blink in confusion. She bent down to pick up the dark haired child, his little arms immediately wound around her neck. The brown haired boy was more reticent, tears filling his sad eyes that looked even more sad the way they drooped at the outer edges. He held the covers up to his chin, biting his lip which trembled in abject terror while he stared at her without moving. She held out her hand, waiting for him to take it.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to save you," she told him, edging closer to his bed. "Please, take my hand and come with me."

Eva gripped his hand when he inserted his palm into hers then pulled him from the bed. She ran out of the room, meeting the other four members of the rescue party in the hall. So far they had been not just successful but quiet and not a single bullet had been fired to set the other guards on high alert that someone was in the mansion. None of their group had been injured either. She handed off the children to Father Montalvan who would take them downstairs and outside to a preset rendezvous point. She nodded to Genpachi who turned to kick in the bedroom door behind him.

"Get up, come with me," he ordered the children inside, but the horror struck boys did not move. "Now! Hurry!"

Eva pushed past Genpachi, throwing back the covers from the first child who appeared to be about six. She set him on his feet, assuring him in a soft voice that everything would be all right. Seeing the teddy bear laying in his bed, she grabbed it to shove it in his arms before she pushed him toward Genpachi.

"Grab the other one and get him out of here," she commanded the officer who was holding the hand of the first child. She lay her hand on Genpachi's arm as she stepped up next to him, patiently explaining, "Gen, keep in mind that they're children, and they've been abused. We're breaking into their house in the middle of the night and waking them up. They're going to be scared. Please, be gentle with them."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking," he mumbled, moving to the other bed to take the blonde about twelve years old by the hand to lead him from the room as she went to the next room.

Eva helped Kobungo herd out the two boys who were twins about the age of ten, watching them flee toward the staircase before she ducked into the next room. The room was empty. She checked the others that seemed to have been recently vacated of their occupants or were ready for new ones. Her body shuddered at the thought of unsuspecting, innocent boys who thought they had been adopted to experience a wonderful new life not knowing the pure hell they were going to be subjected to in this austere manor. She was passed in the hallway by Father Anderson before he started up the stairs to the third floor.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"Get out, Eva. You've found all of the boys. You should leave to help take care of them. I'll take care of the Earl," he said flatly without even looking back at her.

"I won't leave you," she returned, running up the stairs behind him.

"You can be the most insufferable, irritating, and strong willed woman," he snapped at her, leaning down to come nose to nose with her.

"I won't leave you," she repeated with determination, bearing her teeth as she growled at him. She took a step back from him when he straightened up to his full height to tower over her.

"Did you just growl at me?" he inquired, staring down at her in disbelief.

"I didn't...I don't think...uhm, uh..." she hemmed and hawed a little more before straightening her back to stand eye level with the bottom of his sternum. "Yes, yes, I did growl at you. You make me so angry sometimes. You weren't supposed to do this alone. We're a team."

"Fine, fine, come on then," he muttered, taking her by the hand to pull her along with him. When they reached the top of the stairs on the third floor he turned back to snap at her, "You better not get yourself killed."

A clicking sound met Eva's ears before she could say anything in return: it was the sound of a gun being cocked. The sound had come from behind Father Anderson. Pulling the gun from the holster on her leg, she stepped around his large body that blocked the gunman from her sight to shoot at him before he could squeeze off the shot that was aimed at Anderson's head. The bullet from her gun entered the scope that he was looking through, slamming into his eye before it scrambled his brain to exit through the back of his head. His finger pressed the trigger, releasing a spray of bullets toward the ceiling as he fell. This alerted the other guard on the floor to come running. He appeared in the direction which Father Anderson was facing to be taken out by one of the priest's blades that traveled the length of the hall after being thrown to halt his advance. The long blade penetrated the guard's chest, skewering his heart. Time to hurry just in case there should be reenforcements somewhere that would arrive soon.

Father Anderson grabbed Eva by the collar, raising his big booted foot to kick down the door of the room next to them. The door splintered leaving large jagged pieces of wood to hang from the hinges that were bent yet tenaciously hanging onto the door frame. They had unknowingly entered the lair of the beast himself. The disgusting old geezer had been about to steal the innocence of a boy of about twelve with pale blond hair and eyes the color of cornflowers. The skinny youth was bent over the king sized bed and was about to penetrated by the deviant. How had the bastard not heard what was going on and stopped what he was doing?

"Grab the boy!" Father Anderson ordered her, unsheathing two more of his short swords that resembled daggers in his massive hands.

The Earl of Trancy looked like a disturbing degenerate with his long, greasy gray hair and the large liver spots due to advanced age on his wrinkled face. When he smiled, his four front teeth between his incisors were missing. He held the naked child as a human shield in front of him as the Monster of God advanced toward him with his blades held up. Moving sideways, toward the dresser, he made it obvious that he was going for a weapon hidden there.

"Let the boy go, Earl," Anderson commanded him, advancing until the old man grabbed the gun from the drawer of the nightstand.

It became apparent to Eva that Anderson was going to risk getting shot to stab the old man. Taking her weapon from around her neck, she began to spin the incense burners in small vertical circles. The air passing through the holes of the metal objects filled the air with a sharp whistling sound. Catching the sharp blue eyes of young man, she was surprised by his lucid calmness. His eyes held hers with a steady, emotionless gaze. Preparing to release one of the incense burners at her intended target, she looked downward with her eyes to signal to the boy to drop. What he did next astonished her. The boy grabbed the old man's hand that was squeezing his neck, pulling back on the middle finger until it snapped. The Earl released his quarry with an animalistic howl of agony from the broken finger. As soon as the boy ducked out of the way, giving her a clear shot at the Earl, she threw one of the incense burners to hit the old geezer square in the middle of his forehead. She prepared to throw the other burner as the Earl lost his balance and stumbled backwards to hit the wall behind him. Blood flowed from his forehead, getting into his eyes, from the deep slash the knife like edges of the cross had cut into his skin. Her wrist jerked to send the projectile forward as his hand holding the gun raised to take aim at the priest. The cross imbedded itself in his wrist, pinning his hand to the wall while making him drop the weapon. The gun hit the floor with a bang and went off with another loud bang. She thought the bullet had safely discharged into the wall until she felt a stinging sensation in her side. Looking down, she saw a circle of crimson red forming on the snowy white background of her cassock just above her left hip. Pulling back her weapon, she carelessly flung it around her neck splattering more blood on her uniform. Pressing her hand to her side, she reached down to snatch up the garment from the floor at the end of the bed, a pink and purple kimono made of the finest silk. Rushing forward, she wrapped the material around the boy's frail, thin body to cover his nakedness.

"Get him out of here!" Father Anderson yelled at her again, pointing to the door with his blade.

Just as she took the boy by the hand and was about to make a run for the door, a guard entered with an automatic rifle raised to shoot. Eva reached for her gun, shooting the guard in the face without a moment's hesitation. Although the Holy Water had absolutely no effect on him, the bullets still did a marvelous job of killing him. She pulled the boy along behind her as she prepared to flee the room. A remarkable type of pressure was being emitted from Father Anderson's body that was like a force of gravity that was pushing against her and pulling her in at the same time. The intense, raw power made her insides tremble. She felt the boy's hand clutch hers tighter hinting to her that he could feel it too. It terrified them both.

"Go! Get out of here!" Anderson bellowed at her, turning to look at her.

Eva gasped to see that his eyes had disappeared to be replaced by blinding white light that she was forced to look away from. She bowed her head, unable to look up at his face at all. The burden of her own guilt threatened to consume her like a fire that burned within her soul.

"You don't want to see this Eva. I'm about to pass judgment and punishment on this man," he warned her, raising his short sword to press the tip to the Earl's throat to prevent him from escaping. "Leave...please."

Eva trembled helplessly as she stared at the floor, willing her frozen body to move. She could see a white aura stretching across the floor from him. That aura seemed to cut straight through her body, stripping away everything to lay open her soul, naked and vulnerable, before him. So this was the power of the Judgment of God. Finally finding the ability to move, she tightened her grip on the boy's hand and fled from the room with tears in her eyes. Her side began to ache just before a searing pain sliced through her to remind her that she had been shot. A rumble like drums in the distance grew to a crescendo of deafening thunder that shook the house by the time they reached the first floor. Just as they exited the front door, she could hear Father Anderson's voice erupt with a boom that sounded like a bomb exploding.

"Earl of Trancy, you will stand in judgment today. By the law of man, you are accused of molestation, rape, sodomy, and child sex slavery. You have been found guilty. The earnings of the wicked are sin and death*. For your sins against the innocent and blameless children, you will die," Father Anderson bellowed, his voice making the walls and floors quake around them.

Eva ran through the front gates, leaving the mansion of inequity behind her. She did not slow down until she reached the meeting area where the three other members of their team stood with the children surrounding them. The younger ones were crying because they were scared, cold, and tired. The older boys were doing their best to help comfort their younger counterparts while they battled shock and fear themselves.

"Eva!" Kobungo exclaimed happily upon seeing her. When he ran toward them, the blond boy whose hand she had been holding stepped in front of her as if to protect her.

"She's hurt. She was shot," the boy informed him, worried that she might die as the blood continued to soak into her clothing creating an ever widening circle.

Genpachi had been trained as a field medic so he rushed to help her. With Ko's assistance, he lay her down on the ground to check the extent of her wound. Just he was about to cut open her blood soaked cassock, he paused because the boy gripped his arm using a strength the delicate blonde did not seem capable of possessing.

"Please, help her," he begged.

"Don't worry. She's our friend. We won't let anything happen to her," Genpachi assured him, glancing toward the house to see Father Anderson exiting the building. More motivation to save Eva was walking their way. If she died, that man would kill them.

"Hey, Blondie," Eva called to the boy. She grunted upon hearing the sound of ripping fabric. She hoped Satomi had a back up uniform somewhere for her. Motioning for the boy to come to her, she held out her hand for his. Her fingers curled around hers tightly as he took her hand in hand while kneeling beside her. "What's your name?"

"Jim. Jim Macken*," he answered, squeezing her hand when she hissed in pain as the man cleaned away the blood to get a better look at her injury.

"Jim. Would you mind if I call you James?" she asked, clenching her teeth together as her pseudo doctor poked around the wound sending scorching trails of pain shooting in all directions from the bullet's entrance point.

"James? Why?"

"I want to give you a new name along with your new life. James is the name of Jesus' brother who also followed him as a devout disciple." She stopped talking when her voice grew quavery from the pain.

"A new life?" he asked, glancing at the men tending to her for an explanation.

"You're coming to live with us to live at St. Sebastian's," Ko explained, wishing Eva would stop squeezing his hand so tightly so he could regain feeling in his fingers.

"I want to stay with her," Jim/James protested, holding onto her hand as Gen tried to push him out of the way. His eyes opened wide as he toed the edge of panic. She had saved him. She had been shot because of him. He did not want to leave her.

"She lives there too," Ko told him seeing that it calmed him. "For now you need to move so we can take care of her."

"Is she going to be all right?" Father Anderson asked, cleaning the blood from his swords as he stood above them. He ignored the fact that all of them jumped, startled as if they had been caught doing something wrong. He already knew Eva had been shot.

"She'll be fine. The bullet isn't deep. Her body is already pushing it back out and trying to heal itself. I just have to keep a check on the blood loss in the mean time. She's going to be very weak for a while," Genpachi informed the concerned priest as he sheathed his swords. She had lost consciousness during his poking and prodding which was probably the best thing that could have happened to her to save her from the pain.

Once Eva was patched up enough to move her, Father Anderson bent to pick her up. His apprehension grew when her head lolled lifelessly to the side. Thankfully she was still just unconscious. He felt a hand clutching a handful of the material of his cassock as he moved to take her to the car that waited for them. Looking down at the blond who held the knot of fabric, hopelessly wrinkling his cassock, he smiled pleasantly at the boy who had been pulled from the claws of a true monster.

"What's your name?" he asked the boy.

"Jim, no, James. It's James, sir," he answered confidently, unafraid of the huge priest cradling the woman who had taken him to safety. "She gave me this name."

"Did she now?" Father Anderson smiled down at Eva. "And a fine name it is, James."

"What's her name?"

"Eva."

"Eva," he repeated as if rolling her name around on his tongue to get the full feel of it. "It's beautiful. Like her."

"Son, you have a good eye and great taste in women," Father Anderson chuckled.

"Is she yours?"

Father Anderson physically flinched from the brazen question. He could hear snorts of poorly restrained laughter coming from his companions. He decided to vaguely reply, "Kind of."

"Is she an angel?"

"Angel's don't get hurt."

"What is she then?" James asked with a boundless curiosity.

"You ask too many questions, James," the hulking man admonished him, not wanting to answer any more of the boy's inquiries. Reaching down to ruffle the boy's hair, he held Eva tightly to his chest with one arm. She had gotten injured but she was alive, and she had saved all of the children from a miserable fate worse than death. Her first mission could be deemed as a stunning success. Hopefully they could get out of London before Alucard made an unwanted appearance. "All you need to know, James, is that we're headed home where it's safe."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: I know I am 'borrowing' quite a few characters from other animes along with adding my OCs. I did not list this story as a cross-over because it is not a true cross-over since I'm only using a few characters and not bringing in any other elements from the anime they have been taken from.<p>

*These two characters are also out of Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East

*Proverbs 10:16

*The Earl of Trancy is a character from Black Butler.

*Jim Macken is the real name of Alois Trancy from Black Butler.


	7. Chapter 7

Eva opened her eyes to see James fast asleep with his head cradled in his folded arms. He had been sitting in a chair beside her bed and leaned over to take a rest on the edge of her mattress at some point. She reached out to slide her fingers through his slightly curly hair that was the color and texture of corn silk.

"He refused to leave you," Father Anderson piped up from the corner of her bedroom where he was sitting. "He wanted to be here when you woke up."

"He's not the only one is he?" she questioned the overprotective priest, raising her head to look at him.

"Hmmmm," he hummed, the sound a deep rumble in his chest. He smiled genuinely at her with no hint of embarrassment on his scruffy face.

The young man asleep with his head resting on her bed moaned before his eyes fluttered open. Eva smiled at the boy as his large baby blue eyes connected with hers.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted him, ruffling his messy curls. She lay her hand down on his forearm that was still on her bed.

"Good morning, my angel," James said, placing his hand over hers.

_You too?, _she thought to herself as he used one of the names Father Alexander called her. She was no angel. Far from it. Angels did not have the lustful thoughts and desires she did or possess the human frailties she seemed to have in abundance. Glancing at Father Alexander, she wished she was an angel so she wouldn't harbor romantic love for a man who would never be able to love her back. Brushing the back of her fingers over the cheek of the boy in front of her, she wished she was an angel so she could save more innocents like him before their lives were totally ruined.

"Are you all right?" James asked, gliding his fingers along her cheek in the same way she had his seconds before.

Eva closed her eyes, savoring the affectionate touch. The gesture had been so sweet, so innocent - so loving. "I'm fine."

"Eva, Satomi is expecting to see you," Father Anderson told her, crossing the room to her bed.

"Father, just a few more minutes...please," she begged. She was in no hurry to see Rio Satomi. Her body still ached, and she was tired.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he queried, receiving a nod in return. His attention shifted to the boy who was holding her hand tightly. "James, why don't you go to the play yard where the rest of the boys are. You should check on your friends."

"Yes, sir," James reluctantly agreed, letting go of her hand to leave the room.

Once they were alone, Father Anderson ripped back the covers from Eva's body. He wanted to see how the gunshot had healed. Without fully thinking through his actions, he seized the bottom of her nightgown to pull it up. He raised it to her belly, his eyes quickly skimming over her thighs before concentrating on her hips. All that remained of the wound was a small amount of scar tissue. Before he could get a better look, Eva pushed the thin cotton down as best as she could as he attempted to jerk it back up.

"A-A-Alexander! What are you doing?!" Eva cried out, stubbornly pushing down the fabric as he tried to pull it out of her hands.

"Eva, stop!" he ordered her, his voice gruff and not leaving any room for an argument.

Stunned by his harsh tone, Eva ceased the tug-of-war with him over her gown. He had never spoken to her so roughly before. She lay back, watching his tense face as he snatched up the material to reveal the location where she had been shot. Holding her breath as his fingers brushed over her hip bone, she stared at the ceiling while trying to ignore the ticklish and very enticing sensations that were flowing through her body from his light touch. With the intention of distracting herself, she inhaled deeply, concentrating on keeping her breathing measured and steady. Her breathing hitched when his fingers pressed to her skin, circling the part of her hip bone that was visible beneath the skin while he traced the white star mark the bullet had left behind.

"It's amazing. It's already healed," he murmured, leaning down to get a closer look.

"Oh, God, help me," she gasped when she when his lips pressed to the scar. "Father, what are you doing?"

"You're a fantastic creature," he mumbled as if talking to himself. After sitting up, he looked down at her face which bordered on horror struck. His eyes held hers momentarily before he leaned his face closer to hers. "You're beautiful, strong... and deadly."

Eva's fingers twisted into the sheet underneath her body. If she kept her hands still, if she did not touch him, perhaps she could keep herself out of trouble. Her breath was coming in raspy inhales as he hovered above her, his lips in tempting proximity to hers. "Alexander, please..."

"One day, Eva," he murmured before kissing her forehead. Returning to a sitting position, he pulled her upright by holding her hands in his. "Just be patient with me."

"For what?" she whispered, her body beginning to shiver as he stared at her. Delving deep into the intense green depths of his eyes, she knew it was Father Anderson and not Alucard in disguise. The forest green eyes she was looking into were sincere, showing a blameless conscience while withholding tumultuous emotions.

"Just wait for me. That's all I ask of you." He kissed her on the forehead again before rising from the bed. "Get ready to see, Satomi. There is something of the utmost importance that he wants to discuss with us."

"Oh, Alexander...isn't it _always_ important?" she mumbled irritably, getting out of the bed to rifle through her dresser for clothes.

Father Anderson left the room, closing the door behind him so she could change in private. He paced the living room as he waited for her. A feeling of uneasiness had clung to him since he had seen her get shot last night. Coming to the realization that he could lose her had terrified him. He had thought he was incapable of fearing anything - and never had he experienced fear before in his life until she came along. The regret of taking her in lurked at the edges of his consciousness. But she had reminded him what it was like to feel: to need and be needed, to love and be loved - to be human. At times he found his love for her unbearable especially when it clashed with his duty to the church and his solemn vow to God. He had a decision to make. Would he forsake Eva and continue being the pawn of Iscariot to be moved and used as they wished? Or would he desert the Church, break his vow, and beg for God's forgiveness so he could be with her?

"I'm ready," she proclaimed, walking out of the bedroom. She was wearing a loose pair of white yoga pants along with an over-sized white tunic. It appeared she had exchanged her night gown for a set of pajamas.

Instead of criticizing her for her wardrobe choice, Father Anderson opened the door to prompt her to go out of it. Satomi along with Father Montalvan, Genpachi, and Kobungo awaited them in the study of the Cardinal's house. Eva was thankful their meeting would not involve food. She still felt slightly queasy from being weakened by blood loss and feared smelling human food would make her sick. Instead, the men were drinking wine, and she was given a much needed glass of blood. In fact, Satomi had a whole bottle ready for her. He knew she would need the nourishment. She thanked him profusely as he refilled her empty glass while the rest of them continued discussing last night's events.

"How do you feel?" Rio asked her, sitting in the chair adjacent to the couch where she was sitting beside Alexander Anderson. If he did not know better, he would swear the two of them were physically chained together.

"Just a little tired," she responded, taking a sip of the blood then licking her lips.

"That's to be expected," he responded sympathetically. He watched the pink tip of her tongue as it moved over her lip, cautiously avoiding the prominent canine tooth. There was a smear of blood at the corner of her mouth that she had missed. Reaching out with his hand, he wiped the blood off with his forefinger drawing it back to wipe it on his handkerchief.

Eva smiled at him, her lips quivering. She had barely resisted the urge to grab his hand and shove his finger into her mouth to suck off the blood. Inhaling a shuddering breath, she silently prayed that this meant she was getting a grasp on the sensual urges and developing some degree of control over the sexual desires. She scooted closer to the priest beside her, pressing her thigh next to his. She met his questioning glance with a shy smile. Caught between Scylla and Charybdis, she had no where to turn to escape from temptation. Although the men themselves were not evil, far from it, the way she felt about them, the things she wanted to do to them, certainly was evil. She leaned forward to refill her glass and both men did the same, effectively closing in around her. The warm spicy scent of their bodies filled her nose, making her light headed. Her eyes glowed gold in response to the hunger for both blood and sex that boiled inside of her. _Oh, Lord Jesus...please help me._

"Rio, why are we here? What is this meeting about?" Eva inquired, keeping her voice as smooth and affectless as possible. With her glass refilled, she picked it up and sank into the couch to nurse it while she counted her breaths to calm herself.

"I've already received word from the head office of Iscariot about your next assignment," Rio answered, pouring more wine into his glass.

Eva observed the dark purple liquid as it filled the glass, flowing out of the bottle with a light _glug glug _sound. Her eyes stayed on the glass as he raised it to his lips. She looked away finally when his lips parted to press to the side of the glass.

"There are wolves in the Swiss Alps," the handsome Cardinal announced.

Eva thought he was being over-dramatic. She scoffed at the absurd comment. "And how is that such a bizarre thing?"

"Werewolves, Eva," Father Anderson whispered into her ear.

Eva raised her eyes to meet Satomi's gentle almost colorless blue eyes that held a note of amusement. Werewolves. A big bubble of air went down with the blood as she swallowed, making her chest ache. "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting the kinds of things I'm dealing with now."

"The Alpha and Beta have been pinpointed but they fiercely protect the rest of the pack, keeping them well hidden within the mountains and forests. They are quite elusive themselves, like ghosts of the forest. You're to track down the Alpha and kill him, Eva," Rio informed her specifically. "Father Anderson, you're her back up in case the Beta shows up. Father Montalvan, you will be leading a relatively sizable unit of soldiers since we're not sure of the size of the pack. Genpachi, Kobungo, you two will be on standby for extractions should it become necessary."

"Yes, Sir, Cardinal," they all acknowledged in unison.

"Eva, there's something you need to know about Genpachi and I," Kobungo said, walking toward her. He took the wine glass out of her hands, setting it on the table. Pulling her to her feet, he led her to the french doors that had already been opened to lead out out onto the balcony. Genpachi was already standing out there waiting.

"Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you," Genpachi told her.

"What is go-" Before she could complete her question, both men began to change.

They grew taller, their bodies widening as well. The sound of ripping fabric filled the air as their new, bigger bodies tore their clothing apart. Genpachi's skin darkened to a black color that appeared grainy like he was made out of stone. He leaned forward in obvious pain as two large lumps appeared on his back. One wing broke the skin; black and leathery like that of a bat extended to the side of him, then the second one appeared and stretched out. His ears were round, then tapered to points. His teeth were all pointed and the sharp points extended just above his lips to resemble a shark's teeth. Kobungo's skin had turned a grayish color, reminiscent of concrete. His mouth stretched, filling with wide, flat topped square teeth except for where a human's incisors would be on top and bottom. Those four teeth extended far beyond his lips, taking on a tusk-like appearance they were so thick. He bellowed in agony as he bore the discomfort of morphing. His wings were light brown and feathered. His face had a dragon like appearance that was enhanced by the two horns on his head. The two good looking men had become hideous gargoyles. They retained no human characteristics whatsoever. They were fearsome and miraculous, terrifying yet stunning in an almost beautiful way.

"We're - " Kobungo started to say but she knew what they were. His voice was deep and resonant, slightly garbled as if there were an echo coming from inside of him.

"Gargoyles. The protectors of the church. To ward off evil spirits," she supplied, walking forward to touch his face. The skin was supple and warm; very much like human skin. She had expected him to feel cold, hard, and unyielding like stone. "Wow...you're amazing."

"I do believe that's the most positive reaction we've ever had, brother," Ko proclaimed, opening his hand so she could examine his claws.

"Yeah. Usually it's a lot of screaming and yelling while they run away in terror," Genpachi muttered, crossing his arms over his chest while she gave his brother a thorough examination with her hands and her eyes. Walking toward her, he did not realize he would be next in receiving stringent perusal. He found the way she poked, prodded, and stared to be quite disconcerting. But it was definitely a good change from the usual bad reaction they received. When she was finally done, he extended his hand to her. He almost pulled his hand back when she stared wide eyed at the black talons. The nails were about five inches long at the end of his already lengthy, bony fingers. He lowered his body down to one knee in front of her as not to be quite so intimidating as he dwarfed her in size. Although he was kneeling down, he was still taller than her.

Eva slid her hand into his massive palm. She knew she had no reason to fear him. Inside he was still her friend Genpachi. Like her, he had become something more than a mere human. He was just more obvious about it than her. Placing her foot on his knee at his urging, she used his leg as a makeshift stirrup to haul herself over onto his back when he leaned forward.

"Hold on tight," he suggested, feeling her arms enclose his thick neck.

"Don't close your eyes," Kobungo told her when he noticed she had her eyes squeezed shut. "You'll want to see this."

Eva forced her eyes open, squinting slightly as they both began to flap their wings to stir up the air around them. Her arms tightened around Genpachi's neck as they lifted off, hovering in the air just a few feet off the ground. She already had that distinct floating on air sensation like when falling from a high place. Despite being frightened, she kept her eyes open to see the balcony slowly drift away from under them. She screamed unintentionally when Gen propelled his big body forward instead of upward. The movement had been smooth, so even and flowing, it almost felt as if he were moving from under her to leave her behind. She clung to him with her arms and legs like a baby monkey clings to her mother. The wind blew past her cheeks, soothing her worries and igniting her curiosity. Her arms gradually released their hold on Genpachi's neck until she let go completely. Sitting up on his back, she looked around. Kobungo was drifting beside them, flapping his wings a few times then allowing the air to carry him like a glider. Extending her arms by her sides as if they were her wings, she offered herself to the sky, to the freedom that was like no other. With the help of Genpachi, she felt like she was flying.

"Hold on!" Genpachi yelled to her. They were coming close to the forest, and he would have to turn to avoid hitting the treetops.

Eva was not listening. She was too enthralled with temporarily being suspended from the laws of gravity. She felt Gen's body begin to turn, then her body followed, separating from his as he rolled to his side, banking a turn to miss the top branches of the tree ahead. Suddenly, she felt nothing beneath her. She was falling.

"No," Kobungo gasped, watching with a sense of surreality as her body seemed to fall toward the earth in slow motion. He ducked his head, flapping his wings drive himself forward and down at a high rate of speed. When she was within what he thought was arms reach, he grabbed for her. His claws raked over the sole of her shoe.

"Dammit!" Ko yelled in frustration. Pushing himself harder, straining the muscles in his wings, he reached again. This time he seized her by the ankle to pull her back and against his chest. Looking ahead, he saw that they were too close to the ground for him to pull up without killing her from the sheer force it would put on her body. He rolled over, wrapping her in his arms and his wings around her to protect her. Hitting the ground on his back, the dirt and grass exploded around them as if he were a bomb that had impacted the earth. His body rolled, tumbling through the grass and bumping over stones but he never let her go or loosened his wings. Finally they came to a stop. Dazed and confused from the hard impact then the brutal rolling, he panted for air while lying still. He could feel Eva's body vibrating against his. He was not sure if she was frightened, crying, or hurt - maybe all three. His wings gradually unfurled to reveal Eva lying on his chest, safe and sound, giggling and happy. He smiled at her.

"That was amazing! Can we do it again?!" she shrieked like an excited child, hopping to her feet.

"I think we should do it again," Kobungo agreed. He glanced at Genpachi who was definitely less than pleased. "We need to practice carrying her for the upcoming mission."

"One important rule," Genpachi barked, irritated that she had come so close to getting hurt. He shoved his forefinger in her face, shaking it as if he were reprimanding a child. "Don't let go!"

"Yes, sir," she responded, her eyes crossing as she stared at the scary, sharp talon that was so close to her face.

"Come on, Eva. My turn to take you for a whirl," Ko said, taking her by the hand to lift her up and over his head to sit on his back.

"Shouldn't we practice carrying her? We'll have to grab her like an eagle plucks a fish out of the water should she get into trouble," Gen told him.

"True," he concurred, taking off with a fierce flap of his wings. "But right now let's have some fun!"

"Ko!" Genpachi pushed off the ground with his strong legs, taking off after his brother like a rocket.

"Well, there they go," Rio remarked as he and Father Anderson stood on the balcony watching the two gargoyles flying around with the ecstatic Eva as their passenger. "She seems happy."

"She is," the priest replied, a smile on his lips.

"There's only one thing that would make her happier," the Cardinal hinted, sliding Anderson a sidelong glimpse.

"What's that, Satomi?" he asked, clasping his hands together behind his back.

"You're not a fool and neither am I, Anderson," he rejoined irritably. "Should you ever seek to be released from your vows, I will perform the ceremony. I will also do my best to release you from Iscariot."

"You know one of those is difficult and the other is impossible."

"Respectively speaking, of course."

"Naturally." Father Anderson heaved a sigh of frustration. God would forgive him. Iscariot wouldn't. There would be hell to pay. They would make sure of it.

~\..'../~

The man climbed upon the big rock balanced on the edge of the cliff. He was waiting for the moon to rise. Stripping his clothes, he discarded them carelessly, throwing them into the chasm below. The moon began to appear, her bright silver head rising over the summit of the mountain across the valley, the beloved sister mountain of the one he was standing on. The fire ignited in his veins, surging to his extremities, setting fire to every nerve ending. Inevitable, unstoppable, and so agonizingly painful, the change began. As the silver light spread across his body, the fire erupted into an inferno to burn away his human countenance. The wolf was coming.

Eva stepped out from the behind the tree where she had been hiding. She had came up to the mountain by herself, arriving well before the end of the day to find a suitable place to hide. Wolfsbane laced the incense cones that had been smoldering inside the burners all afternoon and were draped over a low branch of the tree. The herb masked her scent in addition to weakening the werewolf. His strength and speed, his greatest weapons, would be diminished by the wolfsbane. Enclosing the handle of the gun strapped to her thigh, she prepared to draw the weapon as she watched the man's vertebrae become enlarged and bulbous, straining at his skin as his spine elongated. Pulling the gun from its holster, she aimed at the man who was becoming a beast before her very eyes. As she aimed the weapon his temple, the most vulnerable part of his head, his nose extended into the snout of a canine as he stared up at the moon. Pulling back the hammer, she prepared to shoot the hollow silver bullet filled with Holy Water into the emerging werewolf's brain before he completed the transformation. Something she had once thought existed only in children's stories and horror movies was standing in front of her living and breathing - and could very well kill her.

"In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to return to hell, you foul demon!" Eva yelled. Her eyes met the wolf's luminescent red eyes briefly before she pulled the trigger.

Quickly crouching down upon the rock, the werewolf dodged the bullet. He had looked into the eyes of a demon as well: brilliant and gold, glittering like ominous pieces of precious metal set into a face twice as hard and cold. He lunged, landing on the ground in front of the woman. Swiping at her legs, he knocked her to the ground, flat onto her back. He straddled her body, growling in her face threateningly. Turning his face to the sky, he howled.

"Die, you bastard," she growled, pressing the muzzle of the gun into his throat and pulling the trigger. She crawled backwards on her hands and feet like a crab to get out of the way before the creature fell on top of her. Jumping to her feet, she glanced around, ready for the others that would be coming. She had messed up. She had killed the Alpha but not before he had alerted the rest of the pack to the presence of the interlopers. Father Anderson and the others were dispersed throughout the valley and mountain, infiltrating their territory to lay in wait for them.

Eva heard the light panting of a dog just before the barely audible sound of paws on earth met her sensitive ears. Swinging her weapon to the left, she saw a flash of red just before she pulled the trigger. With a yelp, the werewolf fell dead a few feet away from her. Leaning over the body, she surmised this werewolf was not the Beta of the pack but being a female, she might have been the mate of the Alpha. The characteristic cracking sound of guns being fired began to echo through the mountains as more members of the pack were being systematically picked off. A growl emerged behind her so she turned in the direction from which the ominous sound had come with her weapon raised and ready to fire. Two red eyes blinked at her, then another set of crimson red eyes opened and closed in the dark, and finally a third pair above those. The eyes were set in two rows of three that were stacked on top of each other. What the hell is that? She aimed for the eyes, unloading the last four bullets of her gun into the beast. Although she could hear the muted thud of the bullets meeting flesh, the being did not fall but came closer. As it approached, the six eyes merged into two, rising to the height of a man, not a werewolf. Before she could scream, Alucard formed out of the night as if he were made of the inky blackness itself. Shock left her mute and helpless, disabling her so that all she could do was stare at him as he seized her by the throat and slammed her into a tree. The splintering of wood filled her ears as she felt the trunk gave way but not completely break as her head sunk into the tree. Blinding pain ricocheted inside her skull, bouncing off the bone to slice back through her brain to torture her. She grabbed his wrist as if to gain some support while her feet dangled at least a foot from the ground. Her eyes met his blood red ones that glowed brighter than heated lava in an active volcano.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled, his fangs gleaming malevolently in the moonlight. Large droplets of saliva dripped from the sharp tips of his canines, dropping onto the front of her white cassock.

"Killing evil creatures like you," she growled, kicking forward to contact his belly. It disappointed her that he grunted with discomfort from the blow, but he did not even slacken his grip on her. As a matter of fact, his fingers clenched tighter around her neck, cutting off her air supply. Reaching over her head, she withdrew her sword, swinging horizontally with all of her strength. Once his head was separated from his shoulders, rolling into the bushes behind him, his fingers loosened the choking grip on her neck. She dropped straight to her knees on the ground, coughing and sucking in noisy gulps of air into her lungs.

However, Alucard's body did not fall. The vampire's body stood tall and straight as if waiting for something. Tendrils of black smoke crawled across the ground as if they were a living, sentient being. They encircled Alucard's body, oozing upward to swirl above his neck until his head reformed. He was once again whole, his head back where it belonged.

"Oh, Eva, it will take a lot more than that to kill me," he murmured, reaching for her again.

"I'll take care of that," Father Anderson said, thrusting his knives forward to impale the vampire.

Eva jumped backwards to avoid the tips of the swords that looked like hand held bayonets. The swords had skewered Alucard from back to front, the blood dripping onto the ground at his feet. Taking another step back to avoid the blood, her eyes were locked on Alucard's face that twisted into a sardonic grin. Fear held her in its grasp, keeping her rooted to the ground as she watched him walk forward, pulling his body from the lethal blades that had ran him through.

"Eva, get out of here," Father Anderson commanded her.

This time Eva did not argue. She turned, running to the edge of the cliff.

Alucard watched as she raced headlong into what he was sure would be her death. He grunted in pain as the priest stabbed him again with all four blades. Although he was immortal, he was not impervious to pain. He refused to be distracted. His eyes would not move from Eva. If she was going to die, he wanted to see it for himself. Transfixed, he watched as she leaped off the edge without hesitating. As her body began to fall, something shocking happen. A great winged creature, a gargoyle, swept in and grabbed her with his clawed feet.

"Well, well, Iscariot has all the good toys," Alucard murmured calmly, slightly amused. He was still irritated that he had lost her. If she was not going to be his, she should be dead. Not only had she gotten away, she had left that damn priest behind to fight in her stead. He hated Father Alexander Anderson with all of the fury of hell fueling that loathing.

Father Alexander kicked the vampire in the back, removing his body from the blades that were still lodged in his organs. He was about to attack Alucard again when a strong breeze started to blow and a sound like the flapping wings was carried on that wind. The other member of the extraction team had come for him. A smile, mean and cruel, turned his lips upward as another one of the winged creatures took hold of his shoulders. He gritted his teeth against the pain as the knifelike talons sank into his chest and back.

"Time to go, Father!" Kobungo announced, flying in the direction Genpachi had taken Eva. "There's a little lady waiting for you who would be upset if I let anything happen to you."

* * *

><p>I know Genpachi and Kobungo were demons in Hakkenden, but keeping with the church theme of the story here, I turned them into gargoyles for the purpose of consistency.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

The Sisters of Saint Petronille, the patron saint of mountaineers, were hosting the entire party of soldiers hailing from Saint Sebastian's and did so with glee. Apparently this was a newly established order created by Iscariot. Most of the women were young, novice nuns in training, clueless as to what they had stumbled into and probably did not care because they were eager to escape the world. Desperate and naive was the perfect combination to make the girls easy targets for the indoctrination into whatever nefarious roles they would play in Iscariot's clandestine agenda. The women were thrilled to see their brothers-in-arms were so incredibly handsome who would be staying with them for the next few days. When the extermination party returned, instead of being appalled and disgusted, the gracious little sisters set about running baths and preparing food for their battered and bloodied guests. The older nuns, the teachers and ladies in charge of the convent, stood along the edges of the hallway as the exhausted people made their way to their rooms. These women shook their heads sympathetically, lowering their eyes as the worn and weary soldiers passed.

Eva turned into her room to take a much needed shower. She scoured her skin with the washcloth and rose scented soap until her entire body was red and raw. Seeing Alucard, having him touch her, made her feel tainted, dirty, and violated. At least he had been prevented from harming her this time due to Father Anderson saving her - again. Like always, her knight in shining armor who wore a snow white cassock stepped in at the last minute to save her when she could not save herself. Alucard had caught her off guard by showing his face here. He was supposed to be in London for God's sake, not the Swiss Alps where they were hunting werewolves. His mere presence, always terrifying and unwelcome, shook her to her core. At some point, she had to conquer her fear of him. She sighed loudly to vent her frustration. Taken unawares or not, it was time to get rid of the excuses. Would she ever be able to protect herself? To not need the priest's assistance to save her? She sighed again, allowing the hot water to boil her a bit longer before she stepped out of the shower to wrap herself in a fluffy white towel. Slathering the thick white lotion on her body, she rubbed the moisture into her skin to rehydrate it. She put on her her silky white nightgown that tied under her breasts to keep it from looking like she had just donned a flour sack. Poking her head out of her door, she glanced around to see if anyone was in the hallway. Seeing that it was devoid of people, especially her comrades, she scampered across the hall to knock on Father Anderson's door.

Father Anderson grunted as he pushed his big body up from the bed where he had been laying. The wounds on his shoulders would not stop bleeding, and he was feeling a bit sick and dizzy. Swaying unsteadily on his feet, he gradually made his way to the door. Upon opening it up, he saw Eva standing in the hall wearing a little bitty gown held up by nothing but spaghetti straps and the bottom barely covered her behind. He grabbed her by the arm to pull her into his room. After giving the hallway a quick perusal to make sure none of the superior nuns were there to see what had happened, he closed his door and locked it. He turned to look at her, grabbing her by her bare shoulders. His eyes swiftly skimmed over her body from head to toe checking for damage.

"Is there something wrong? Are you all right? Were you injured?" he inquired in a rapid gush of words as he eyed her carefully.

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to check on you," she said, reaching up to touch one of the wounds that was still bleeding. "You're hurt."

"Kobungo sank his claws in a bit too deeply," he rejoined, hissing when she carefully poked at the tender area around one of the puncture wounds.

"You weren't wearing the leather shoulder guards that were made for you to prevent that," she stated rather than asked.

"They constricted the movement of my arms too much," he complained, backing away from her. "I couldn't use my swords properly."

"Let me help you. You helped me after all since you were able to use your swords properly...and got injured for it. I owe you, I suppose," she shot back with a snarky attitude. She noticed he appeared to bit a bit unsteady on his feet so she tucked herself under his arm to guide him toward the bed. "They trained me to be a weapon. I can take care of myself."

"Not against him you can't. Not yet," he muttered, sitting down on the bed at her urging.

Without asking permission to do so, Eva dug around in his duffel bag to find the first aid kit that they had been instructed to bring with them. After the first mission, they had learned an emergency kit would be a good idea. It was different than a standard first aid kit. It included holy water, herbs and powders that would seem more at home in a witches medicine cabinet, and a needle and sutures for stitches among other unusual items to care for wounds inflicted by the particular kind of unusual enemies that they faced. Once she had gathered towels from the bathroom and opened the suture kit to lay out the items, she set to work performing minor surgery. She poured hydrogen peroxide over the wounds to clean them. While letting that dry, she opened one of the medicine bottles to shake two of the painkillers into her hand. She held out her hand to him, growing annoyed when he stared at them in disgust as if she were handing him Alucard's head on a platter. However, Father Anderson would probably like that gift.

"I don't need those," he growled grumpily, pushing her hand away.

"Fine," she muttered, tossing them into her mouth. "I'll need them for this."

"That's not very comforting," he groused, just a tad irritable from the pain. He watched her hand shake as she threaded the hook shaped needle. That wasn't comforting either. He handed her the glass of wine that he had been drinking. Not only did she need something to drink after taking those pills, the alcohol would cease the trembling of her hands.

"Are you trying to make me pass out?" she asked, taking another sip of the wine. It tasted horrible. She grimaced then braced herself for a third swallow.

"If you pass out, do it now before you begin. Ow!" he yelled when she stabbed the needle into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, gritting her teeth to keep from shedding the tears burning her eyes - and to keep from throwing up. A soothing warmth settled into her body and her hands suddenly stopped shaking. She felt Alexander's hands on her waist, positioning her to stand between his legs.

"That will make it easier for you to reach both shoulders," he explained unnecessarily.

Eva pushed the needle through his skin using the using the needle holder until the sharp point exited the skin on the other side of the wound. She was not surprised Kobungo had been forced to exert so much pressure on Father Anderson's shoulders to carry him. The injury had been unintentional yet expected which is why the leather vest had been made for him to wear. In the end, the fault lie with the obstinate priest because he had neglected to take the necessary precautions. The man was huge and outweighed Kobungo, even in his gargoyle form. Biting her lip to concentrate and continue to keep her tears at bay, she kept sewing up the deep and wide puncture wound on his right shoulder before moving the left one. Occasionally her eyes would glimpse at his face to judge how much pain he was in. The muscles of his jaw fluttered as he clenched his teeth to hold back any utterances of discomfort. His eyes were closed and his face was set in a deep scowl so as to not betray exactly how much misery he was experiencing. When she was half way through stitching the second wound, she felt his head drop forward to press against her belly just below her breasts. The sweat from his forehead soaked through the fabric of her nightgown, and she could feel him trembling.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, taking a minute to gather her nerves that threatened to shatter. She hated causing him undue pain, but she took comfort in the fact that she was helping him. "Just a little longer. I'm almost done." Her head was beginning to feel a little swimmy. She counted the stitches as she made them. One, twist and pull...two, loop and pull the knot...three, tie that and almost done...last one, four...done - thank God. After wiping off the excess blood from the freshly stitched punctures with hydrogen peroxide soaked gauze, she wrapped the needle in the gauze then stuffed it all in the little plastic tray the suturing implements had been in before throwing it all away. She went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

Father Anderson pulled himself up the bed to be able to stretch out in hopes of gaining some relief from the pain. A deep, gnawing ache radiated from the wounds on his shoulders traveling down his arms and across his chest. He regretted being so prideful and pigheaded. He should have taken the damn pills. He had been through worse, much worse, and had endured the torment without stitches or medicine. But since he had help available he should not be so stupid as to refuse it.

"I think I want two of those pills now," Father Anderson told her when she walked back toward the bed.

"Stubborn," she snapped, getting the painkillers and handing them to him. "These would have worked better if you had taken them before the pain became so bad. Stubborn ass."

"Takes one to know one," he mumbled, swallowing them down with what little wine remained in the glass.

Eva sat down beside him, checking the sutures. They appeared suitable to hold and keep the wounds closed. She was pretty happy with the job she had done. Her fingers moved from tentatively prodding the flesh around the injuries to roam briefly over his chest. She raised her eyes to meet his that were fixed on her face. A smile curled her lips. He was not wearing his glasses. She was able to hold his gaze without the irritating glare on his glasses that would inevitably hide his gorgeous green eyes from her view. Leaning forward, she kissed his forehead.

"I'll leave now. You need to get some sleep." She stood up to leave, her body half way turned away from him when she felt his fingers enclose her wrist.

"Don't go," he said, his voice hoarse and gruff. His words had distinctly sounded like a command. Clearing his throat, he requested,"Please...stay with me."

"Are you sure?" she asked, swiveling her head around to look at him without moving her body.

"I'm sure," he responded, pulling her down onto the bed beside him. He settled her next to his body, his arm encompassing her shoulder and lying along her side.

Eva made sure to lay her head on his bicep to stay away from his injury. Her hand cautiously moved across his abdomen, tracing the ridges of muscle on the way up to rest on his pectoral muscle.

"Father...Alexander, are you sure?" she repeated the question, still feeling quite uncomfortable. Being close to him did things to her. It made her want to do certain sinful things to him, and he should know that by now. Pressing her body closer to his, she inhaled the distinct, aromatic scent of him. There was something different. An extra smell, like leather and wet earth, mixed with the clove like aroma of his skin. Myrrh. He had bathed in myrrh, possibly to take advantage of its healing properties in addition to its purported abilities to cleanse the blood. Had Alucard injured him, and she had not seen it? "I'm sorry if he hurt you. One day I'll be able to protect myself...and you, from him."

"Eva," he murmured, placing his hand over hers on his chest. "He didn't hurt me. I've been hurt a lot worse than this I assure you."

"I have no doubt in my mind that you have experienced a veritable hell on earth before...probably several times," she returned, her body beginning to vibrate with excitement as he pressed his hand to her cheek. Her eyes closed, and she pushed her cheek into his palm. She delighted greatly in the simple touch of his hand. She felt his body shifting as he turned sideways to face her, pulling her up to lay her head on the pillow next to his. The puff of warm air from his lips drifted across hers making her body shudder with anticipation.

"My beautiful, lovely Eva," he murmured, his lips brushing across hers lightly.

"Alexander," she whispered, placing her hand against his thick neck. She could feel the prominent artery under his skin pulsing beneath her fingertips. The sound of his blood flowing through his veins was like the sound of a wave rushing to shore to never crash on the sand. His heartbeat thundered in her ears like primal drums beating out a cadence that rose and fell with her own. She moaned as his lips covered hers. Her body heated gradually from the teasing kisses he was giving her. Her lips tingled with each stimulating peck before he would quickly give her another one.

Alexander kissed her again and again, progressively lengthening the amount of time his lips remained on hers. His hand meandered over her belly, sliding along the smoothness of her gown on the way to her breast. What was he doing? He should have let her leave. But he had not wanted her to leave. He wanted to be close to her, to kiss her, to touch her - to keep doing exactly what he was doing. His hand covered her breast, feeling the nipple harden against his palm through the diaphanous layer of fabric.

"A-A-Alexander," she stuttered, pushing her breast into his hand that was cupping it. "We can't...we shouldn't..."

"I know...we shouldn't," he agreed, claiming her mouth again to stop her from talking. His groan mingled with hers as he groped her firm breast while tasting her wine flavored tongue with his. With the arm that was around her body, her pulled her down to lie flat on her back beside him.

_This can't be happening. This shouldn't be happening. I want it to happen, but...oh, god... _Eva could not think anymore when his hand touched her knees, his fingers spreading to push them apart slightly. She tried to hold them together but her legs automatically opened for him. The muscles in her thighs quivered as Alexander lifted her leg closest to him, hooking it over his hips to spread her legs apart further. Her breathing hitched, starting and stopping with multiple little gasps as his hand drifted down her thigh. A moan escaped her when his fingers brushed across her panties, rubbing her gently through the fabric that was already quite damp.

"Oh, Eva," he groaned, his lips slipping from hers down her chin. His body ached. The pulsating pain in his shoulders was forgotten due to the agony caused by his throbbing erection. He rubbed his swollen member against her thigh to gain some small degree of relief from the discomfort.

Eva yelped and jumped when his fingers skirted the side of her womanhood, tickling the delicate skin at the edge of her panties. She knew she should push him away, make him stop before things went too far. However, the painkillers had dulled her inhibitions and her willingness to do what was right. Instead she wanted to follow her body's yearning, to fulfill her the desires that had plagued her for months. She lifted her hips when he tugged at her panties to pull them down. Too afraid to speak, not wanting to break the spell and bring all of this to a halt, she smashed her mouth against Alexander's as he removed her underwear. Her hand flattened against his chest, relishing the sensation of his heart thumping against her palm. She turned her hand until her fingers were pointed downward. Slowly, she slid her hand down his torso, enjoying every taut muscle, each bump or hard line that her fingers encountered on their downward slide. Her fingertips stalled at the waist of his pants. When he sucked in a deep breath creating a gap between his hard abdomen and the fabric, she pushed her hand lower. Her fingers wrapped around the hard shaft, bringing a moan from his lips. Pulling her hand upward, she gasped when her fingers contacted the velvety soft head of his manhood. Tugging gently, she brought forth a groan from him that caused the fire in her to flare up so ferociously she was sure she would spontaneously combust from arousal. She held her breath as his finger slipped between the moist, hot folds of her womanhood. When his thumb pressed against her clitoris, she threw back her head and cried out his name.

"Oh, Alexander," she moaned against his skin as he stroked the stiff projection under his thumb. Her hand stroked him from base to tip, gripping him tightly as he massaged her in the most pleasurable way.

Alexander thought he would explode instantly in her hand. He reached down with his free hand to unbutton and unzip his pants so she would have easier access to him. With his other hand, he rubbed across the rigid little button to make her squirm and sigh his name once more. He groaned in pleasure as her soft hand firmly squeezed the base of his member before moving upwards. The friction of her hand stroking his agonizingly stiff manhood felt wonderful. His forefinger slid along the inside of her until he discovered the source of her enticing wetness and heat. Tracing the little hole with the tip of his finger, he pushed inside feeling the fluid heat cover his finger up to his first knuckle. She was so soft, warm, and wet. His hips pushed at her hand, wanting her to stroke him faster.

Eva relaxed her grip on him as she prepared for the downward stroke on his throbbing cock. She slid her fingers down, grasping him loosely in her hand. When his finger penetrated her, her fingers tightened around him.

"Not too tight," he moaned in her ear. His lips hovered over her ear, kissing the outer rim of before nibbling on her earlobe as he delved inside of her.

"Mmmmm, that feels good," she groaned, moving her hips slightly. So was this his answer to her masturbation question? She had the sneaking suspicion that mutual masturbation carried a lot more sinful connotations than a solo act of self-pleasuring. She gasped his name when he sank another finger inside her. Her hand moved faster on his erection, pumping him harder. Tiny little pulses of ecstasy were racing through her body with each push of his fingers deep inside of her. They were both nearing orgasm. She pressed her face to his chest, keeping her lips against his skin so it would prevent her from being too loud as she helplessly writhed with the beginning of her orgasm.

"Oh, Eva," he groaned, grabbing a handful of her hair. Her plaintive whine and the muscular contractions around his fingers told him in no uncertain terms that she was climaxing. He did not know a lot about sex, but he did know what it meant to reach that ever so crucial and titillating peak of pleasure. Pulling her head back, he crushed his mouth against hers as he came. His hips thrust at her hand, pushing his cock through her fingers while he squirted thick, creamy jets of fluid onto her pristine and mockingly virginal white gown.

Eva could feel the warm spurts of semen hitting her hand and her bare thigh. She continued pushing her hips as his hand, impaling herself on his fingers as she finished off the fabulous orgasm. Afterwards, she closed her eyes. She did not want the cruel reality of her sin to infringe upon this enchanting sensation of floating, flying, as she rested on the wings of elation given to her by orgasmic bliss. When his lips tenderly kissed hers, she concentrated on the warmth and softness of his mouth against hers. She was safely ensconced in his arms where nothing could hurt her, where only pleasure and love abides. This was the reality she wanted. She wanted his touch, his kisses, his body, and the ecstasy he could give her. Her body was pleasantly tingling, every nerve ending feeling as if it were standing on edge with stimulation.

"Alexander," she said, opening her eyes to see him. "Did we do something wrong?"

_I'm sure of it. I'm sure I'm going to hell one way or another whether it be you that drags me there or that damned demon Alucard, _Father Anderson thought to himself as he looked into her eyes. The last bit of gold color was just draining away from her irises returning them to their usual mix of green and brown. "No," he lied, kissing her lips briefly. "We did nothing wrong."

Father Anderson was not intentionally lying to her. He wanted it to be true. He didn't want it to be wrong to love her or to want to be with her. But it was. Satomi's offer replayed in his head. He could be released from his priestly vows. He would be free from his vow of chastity and free to openly express his true feelings for her in the sight of God and man with no retribution. Glancing down at the woman in his arms, he realized she was asleep. There was something he had wanted to tell her before she had gone to sleep. There were three very important words he had been waiting to say to her. Kissing her on the forehead, he cuddled her lovingly and protectively without letting her go as he began to drift off to sleep.

"In case I never get another chance to tell you, and I hope you hear me, I love you, Eva," he whispered, nuzzling his nose into her silky, rose scented hair. "I love you with all of my heart."


	9. Chapter 9

It was strange how they could be fighting mystical, otherworldly creatures one night to return to life as usual the next day as if nothing had happened. No one knew the secretive Soldier's of God had been fighting a war and had just saved the human population from a threat that they did not know existed. If ignorance truly was bliss, the humans at large were completely ecstatic.

Eva and Father Anderson had become skilled at deceiving themselves and each other by pretending certain things had not occurred while at the convent of St. Petronille. Since neither one of them exhibited feeling any awkwardness or weirdness when they were together, they did not speak a single word about that night. Perhaps that was the best way to keep hidden what had happened not only from from each other but themselves.

Since her training schedule had lightened considerably, Eva had begun helping out at the extensive library maintained by the priests of Saint Sebastian's. She cataloged and organized, dusted and cleaned, to keep herself busy. She also assisted the boys with school work when they would come to study. If she had nothing to do, she would pull books down from the shelves to browse the pages. A few of the books had grabbed her attention, holding her mind rapt for hours. She would read until one of the priests or boys would stumble across her sitting in the floor between the bookshelves. She was teased for being a bookworm in the truest sense: eating up the written words from the pages, devouring them with her mind. A small degree of normalcy had returned to her life, soothing her soul and finally giving her a sense of peace. Finding a home away from home again in the library had been extraordinarily therapeutic for her. However, there were moments when the memories of her old life haunted her mind and made her sad. It was during these times when she would take shelter in the church sanctuary to pray in an attempt to ease the ache in her heart and diminish the sorrow for what once was her life. One of two people always came to look for her on the days she sought solace in the church. Either Father Anderson or James would find her, holding her as she cried or just sitting silently beside her while she prayed.

Eva barely saw Cardinal Satomi anymore since he kept his visits with her short and businesslike, restraining them to meal times or briefings before assignments. He never engaged her in conversation outside of his house or when she was alone. Apparently Eva was not the only one who had battled a fleshly war with a sinful yearning. Father Anderson and she both did their best to avoid temptation which was difficult since they lived together. James helped immensely with keeping the two of them apart. It seemed he was always there to knock on the door or showed up at just the right time to interrupt a longing look or a lingering touch that could lead to something. The boy was always pulling her away to investigate some new discovery he had made on the island whether it be an animal or a plant or some other new and unusual thing. Eva sometimes wondered if the boy had a special radar, an innate sense that something was about to happen that shouldn't, so he was there to intervene. At times it made her angry but for the most part she was happy to see the cute, vivacious blond with the sparkling blue eyes who loved to hold her hand and take walks with her while asking dozens of questions. One of her favorite activities after a barrage of questions was to help him find a book on the topic that had captured his interest. Reading stemmed the tale wave of questions so she was granted a moment of reprieve from his inquiries. She was so proud of him. James was learning and growing, becoming as normal as possible considering he had become an official ward of Iscariot.

Just like many other days, Eva was in the library today. James had come in, requesting a book about tide pools. He was sitting at a table near her as she re-shelved books. He had been reading for more than thirty minutes before he asked a question.

"Eva, can we go to the beach today? I want to check out the tide pools. I want to see if any of these things are in there," James announced, holding up the open book for her to see. He pointed to the pictures of the mussels, starfish, anemones and other sea life that gets trapped in these shallow puddles in the rocks by the sea during high tide. Pressing his finger to the picture of a hermit crab, he excitedly said, "I want to find one of these! I can bring him home and keep him as a pet."

"Don't you think it would be better to leave him where you find him? That way he can live out a happy life at the ocean like he's supposed to," she said, watching sadness creep into his brilliant sky blue orbs to dim their joyful gleam.

"I suppose so," he mumbled, laying the book flat on the table. He flipped through the pages silently for a while before looking back up at her. "I didn't like being taken away from the orphanage to live in that awful mansion. I don't want to be like that terrible Earl. I'm glad you took me away from him. So being taken away isn't always a bad thing." He paused speaking, his eyes going blank as if he were suddenly lost in thought. His eyes suddenly opened wide before he fastened them on Eva. "I would never want to be taken away from you."

Eva reached out to run her fingers through his silky, light blond curls. She didn't want him to be like that wretched Earl. Her purpose now was to save him from being a bitter, hateful little demon who continued to spread the hate and cruelty that he had learned in that mansion of horrors. For the first time, she realized that she wanted him to be with her always as well. Another handsome blonde had found his way into her heart. Motherly instincts surged inside of her making her want to gather him into her arms and hug his pain away. If only she could rid him of all memories of that perverted old man, she would do so in a heartbeat. She poked him in the shoulder when he began to read again. "I thought you wanted to go to the beach."

"We can still go and look?"

"Of course."

"Let's go then!" he exclaimed excitedly, slamming the book closed. He grabbed her hand and off they went.

Eva laughed as he practically dragged her all the way to the beach. The tide was out at this time so there would be plenty of tide pools among the rocks teeming with a variety of sea life. She took off her sandals haphazardly throwing them on the sand next to James's discarded shoes and socks. He was already climbing all over the rocks that had been polished to a satiny smooth finish by years of punishment from the sea water mixed with the grinding sand. She pulled the back bottom of her skirt through her legs to tuck it into the waistband in the front to fashion a makeshift pair of loose pants.

"Hey! Hey, James, wait!" she yelled as he disappeared around the curve of the island where the rocks formed a cave. They were not actually supposed to be on this part of the island, but it was the only place where there were rocks, therefore making it the only place where there would be tide pools.

"Eva! Hurry! Come look at this!"

Eva scurried over the rocks, doing her best impression of a giant albino crab as she tried to get to him as quickly as possible. She finally got over the rocks to where there was smooth white sand that formed the floor of the small cavern. Taking hold of his shoulder, she admonished him, "James! You shouldn't be in here!"

"Eva, look," he mumbled, his eyes wide and fearful as he stared into the shallow cave.

"Oh, my God," she gasped, covering her mouth with her fingers to keep from screaming.

Skeletons filled the small cave. They had been here so long that there was not even a shred of clothing left on their bodies - if they had ever been clothed to begin with. No wonder she had not smelled death or decomposition. All of that odor had dissipated long ago. The bodies had been thrown willy-nilly into a pile showing no respect for the dead at all. All of the bones were deformed in some manner, particularly the skulls. Some appeared to have belonged to animals. There were canine like skulls filled with rows of pointed teeth that resembled a shark's teeth. Other skulls were exceptionally thick with protruding bulges of bone in odd places. The torsos of the skeletons appeared to be human but were also in varying degrees of deformity of the arm and leg bones from the length of them to the thickness. Some of the bones bore sharp spikes or knife-like extensions.

"What are...well, _were_ those things? They're not people are they?"

"I don't know."

"Where did they all come from?" He stared at her expectantly for an answer.

"I-I don't know," she stammered, pulling James to her side protectively. Glancing around the cave, she began to shiver. What exactly were those scientists doing in their underground lab? "What is this place?" she muttered to herself, finally snapping out of the fugue that had overtaken her. "Let's get out of here. We shouldn't be here."

Perhaps they had stumbled across the graveyard of the failed experiments. Holding the boy to her possessively with the protective instinct of a mother, she led him back over the rocks to get away from that awful makeshift burial ground. Refusing to give into her fear and revulsion, and also to take the boy's mind off of what he had seen, she decided to carry on with their little adventure despite the gruesome, unexpected discovery. She instructed him to grab their shoes, telling him that they would walk down the beach to collect sea shells. Her mind reeled, racing from one thought to another, as they walked in the opposite direction of the cave to distance themselves from the nightmare that lay inside. Father Anderson had been one of their experiments. So had Kobungo and Genpachi. If one of them had failed, developing some malformity or not meeting some other standard set by the mad scientists, would their bones be in that sacrilegious graveyard to be forgotten as well? She wasn't a direct experiment of Iscariot's but they had been studying her since she had arrived. The scientists were constantly getting new samples of saliva, blood, hair, and other things she'd rather not think about to test them. What if they found something they were not expecting like a weird virus strain or some strange genetic anomaly? What if they used her to make something that could cause widespread death and destruction? Perhaps they were doing that already by using her to kill the things that go bump in the night. Iscariot carefully hid their murderous intentions behind the ruse of performing their religious duty to people who did not know or care. The boogeyman was real, and she, along with countless others, had become his exterminator. Who knew there really were monsters in the closet? She certainly didn't know until her life had taken a bizarre turn thanks to a damned vampire named Alucard. Bastard. So far, Iscariot had not sent her to kill a vampire. They had been using one of their other covert sects of religious soldiers for that. The Soldiers of God were not the only fighting force held by Iscariot, but they were the best above all the others.

"Eva! Look!" James exclaimed, standing over something that had caught his attention.

Eva gazed at the baseball sized gelatinous blob stuck in the wet sand away from the water's edge. She grabbed James by the arm just as he was about to poke it with his finger. "Don't! It's a jellyfish. The body is very delicate and you could kill it. Plus you don't want to accidentally encounter one of those stingers."

Glancing around, James spotted half of a large clam shell and ran to grab it. He scooped up the poor beached creature before sending him home by flinging the jellyfish, shell and all, into the ocean. "Have a good life, little buddy."

"You rescued him. You're a hero," she said, laughing as he beamed at her with pride. Suddenly, the smile dropped from his face. A heavy stone of sour emotion formed in the pit of her stomach. It disturbed her to see how quickly his moods could change, how he would plummet into a chasm of sadness with a mere thought. "What? What's wrong?"

"Will you leave me someday? Will you leave me behind...here?"

"Not if I can help it. If I do leave, I'll take you with me."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

~...~

Eva was sitting on the back porch of the little bungalow in one of the rocking chairs. She was sitting in the chair with her knees pulled up to her chest, swaying back and forth while her mind was occupied with thoughts of the macabre discovery she and James had made ealier in the day. She did not hear Father Anderson walk out onto the porch to join her. When he touched her cheek with the back of his hand, she screamed as if something had reached out from the darkness to seize her.

"Oh, my angel, I apologize for frightening you," he said, sitting down in the chair beside hers. He took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the back of it to comfort her. "What were you so deep in thought about?"

"Father, I saw something today. Something that really bothers me. There were these skeletons that were so scary and strange."

"Oh, I see," he murmured with a knowing, parental tone in his voice. "You wouldn't have been messing around down by the cave now would you, my dear?"

"I took James to see the tide pools. It's the only place on the island with rocks. He was searching for interesting new creatures. He searched a little too far I guess," she mumbled, propping her chin on one of her knees.

"I would say he did. The two of you shouldn't have been there, Eva. It's dangerous there," he chided her gently.

"Is that...is that where the rejected experiments go?" she asked boldly, turning her head to look at him.

"It is, my dear. I'm sorry you had to see that," he told her, apologizing for a folly that was not his own. He allowed the silence to linger between them. Only the squeak of the rocking chairs interrupted the complete quiet. Sucking in a deep breath, Father Anderson prepared to ask a bold question. "Eva, what would you say to leaving this island?"

"I think that would be a wonderful idea. Where would we go?" she questioned him, lacing her fingers through his. She would be willing to go anywhere to get of of this island full of secrets and terrible things.

"I want to take you home with me...to my real home in Ireland. I was running an orphanage there before I went to England for a visit." He paused, giving her a wide grin. "Then I unexpectedly found you. I haven't been home in a very long time. And I want to take you with me."

"Would Cardinal Satomi allow it?" She could feel her heart sinking already. Rio was not a cruel man, but he was fiercely protective of his possessions and important assets, of which she was definitely one. If they were far away from him, he would be incapable of offering them protection or to shield them from any enemies.

"He's already put in for the transfer through Iscariot," he told her, his lips parting to bare his teeth as his smile grew wider. The expression of elation drifted from her face, her smile of joy turning downward into a frown. Reaching out to pat her cheek, he asked, "What? What is it?"

"James. Can he - "

"Ah, the boy, the young lad who is so very fond of you. I see his sentiment is returned as well," he mused, chuckling when a pink tint highlighted her cheeks. "I requested that he be able to come with us as well. I will need to be replaced some day. I can train him to take over my position."

"Why would you need to be replaced?" she inquired, her voice laced with worry.

"Because, my dear, I might find a reason to leave the priesthood some day, and Iscariot as well," he responded, leaning toward her to kiss her cheek.

Eva could not breathe momentarily. The oxygen was pushed from her lungs as if she had been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. She was unable to draw another breath in until her body took over out of self defense and inhaled the much needed air noisily. Could he really be hinting that he might leave the priesthood for her? Did he...did he love her too? Her eyes met his and she wanted to ask why, or for whom, he would leave the priesthood. Looking into his emotionally charged emerald eyes, she did not need to ask the question. Since he was already so close, she bridged the small gap between them to press her lips to his for a short, chaste kiss.

"I love you, Eva," he whispered as if it were a secret between the two of them. For now, it would have to be a closely guarded secret to keep them both safe.


	10. Chapter 10

"Eva!"

The scream of terror sliced through her consciousness, ripping her from the pleasant confines of sleep. Eva was on her feet and at the french doors of her bedroom flinging them open when the second cry laced with panic cut through her brain. She was hearing the sound inside of her head as if it were the remains of a bad dream. The voice belonged to James. He was frightened and crying. Something dreadful and terrifying had taken hold of the boy. Distress caused by his screams made her run faster, following the pull of an unexplainable magnetism inside of her. The internal compass was leading her to the beach near the rocks; leading her to him. Annoyance began to filter through her dismay as she ran toward the outcropping of rocks. James knew he was not supposed to be here. He had been expressly told by her and Father Anderson to never return to this part of the island.

As she neared the rocks, an eerie otherworldly fog began to crawl across the sand toward her. Streams of the grayish mist reached out to her, winding around her ankles before racing up her legs to hold her to the ground. Struggling to keep moving, she grunted and fumed as she uselessly attempted to pick up her feet. The cold vapor penetrated her skin making her muscles constrict painfully from the frigid temperature. She was completely incapacitated.

"James! Where are you?" she screamed, still trying to move her legs. Immediately she was dragged to her knees by the fog that had physically taken hold of her. Quickly shoving her hands out in front of her, she prevented her face from being planted into the wet sand beneath her. The mist curled around her wrists and arms to hold her to the shifting sand. "Dammit!"

"Eva!" James yelled, appearing out of the fog. He was walking in an odd, stilted manner as if something prevented him from moving freely.

Two luminous red orbs appeared through the gray-white fog behind him. Black ribbons of smoke mixed with the mist, consuming it as it formed into a solid being dressed in a vermilion duster coat and a wide brimmed hat. Alucard's lengthy, powerful fingers encompassed James's neck, his claw like fingernails pressing into the boy's delicate skin.

"No!" she shrieked, her voice shrill with the overwhelming fear that held her in its stifling grasp. She tried to move but the vapor surrounding her pulled her more firmly to the ground. "Alucard, please!"

"Please, what, Eva?" he questioned her, his fingers contracting around the boy's neck.

"Please let him go!" she plead, bowing her head. Humiliation crept over her like the fog had as it kept her bound and still in the demoralizing subservient position of being on her hands and knees in front of Alucard.

"No. Not yet," he murmured, a smirk of satisfaction on his face as he looked down at her. "Look at me, Eva. Look at him."

Eva reluctantly raised her eyes to first glance at Alucard before shifting her gaze to James. She watched in mounting horror as James pulled at Alucard's fingers while gasping for air.

"Alucard, stop it!" she screamed, moving her body back and forth as if it would help her shake loose of her mysterious restraints. Her eyes followed the single drop of blood as it seeped from under the vampire's razor sharp fingernail that had penetrated the skin of his captive to ooze down the visibly trembling child's neck. The blood made a stark crimson line down the boy's lily white flesh. She cried out as her stomach seized, cramping with hunger. Alucard was doing this on purpose to cruelly torment her. He was not only scaring and hurting James to incite her anger but also drawing the boy's blood to stir up her desire to feed. The conflicting, powerful thoughts and emotions clashing inside of her were on the verge of sending her into a mindless frenzy. But that was what Alucard wanted.

"Aren't you hungry?" Alucard provoked her, dragging his finger across the boy's throat.

James cried out in pain and unrestrained fear. He screamed, a short, ear piercing burst of sound, when the vampire holding him licked the blood from the fingers that were still locked around his neck. His stomach churned, and he was afraid he would vomit as the vampire's tongue touched his skin.

"No! Stop! Please, stop," Eva whimpered, fighting the divergent desires that tore at her insides. Her basic instincts and rational thought battled violently, ripping at her mind and body while torturing her mercilessly.

"Ah," Alucard groaned with satisfaction as if he had just sipped the finest wine. "It's unbelievable. You really should try it, Eva."

"No...I can't...I won't."

Alucard glared at her with fury. He could see her with unobstructed clarity through the darkness. Pulling the boy back against his chest, he pressed the nail of the forefinger of his free hand to the child's chest over his heart. "Eva, do you want to see his heart bleed for you?"

"No, don't!" she bellowed, reaching forward with her hand. She was not sure if the fog had released her or if the terror of seeing Alucard slash through the shirt and James's skin enabled her to free herself. "Please, stop, Alucard! Let him go!"

"Why should I?" he inquired, raising his finger to his mouth. His long, pointed tongue snaked out of his mouth to lick the droplet of blood from the tip of his pointed fingernail. "Mmmmm...there really is nothing like the blood of a young, untouched virgin. I'm surprised that he's still pure with all of these priests around. I've heard the stories you know. Why, I wouldn't be shocked if your dear Father Anderson - "

"Shut up, you bastard!" she screamed, tearing her other hand from the insidious vapor that seemed to have a life of its own. Standing to her feet, she swayed back and forth as she fought to free her feet. "Father Anderson is a wonderful man! He would never do anything so heinous...so sick!"

"My, my, you have grown strong, my dear. Or perhaps," he murmured, cutting the boy again to form an x over his heart. "Perhaps, I have found the proper motivation to bend you to my will."

"Never!" she hollered, jerking her foot free. Picking up her other foot, she shook off the remaining mist as if it were nothing more than slight irritation instead of something markedly deleterious that had been holding her captive. "Let him go! It's me that you want. Take me."

"You're right. You are the one that I want," he said, his fingers receding from James's frail neck. "But for you to be mine, to come with me willingly and not run away, I believe that will require a little extra incentive. It's time for you to become who you were meant to be, Eva. Your purpose was never to be this white washed, do-gooder hiding behind a cross and a dead god." A smug grin tilted his lips as his claws sank into the sides of the boy's neck to pull another scream from him. "It's time for your potential to be fully realized...and for you to be with me...where you should have been all along."

"Alucard, for the love of God, please stop! Let him go! NOOOO!" she screeched as the ruthless vampire drew a fingernail across the child's neck as if it were the sharpest of daggers.

The skin of James's neck split, allowing blood to gush forth, flowing downward to coat his neck and chest in a crimson wave. Alucard watched with delight and macabre joy as Eva lurched forward, catching the boy in her arms before his body could crumple on the damp sand.

"You might have thought I had left you, that I had vacated your mind. But I was always there. Always watching and listening, learning everything about you. I know what makes you laugh. And I know what makes you cry. I know who you love most in this world," he said, moving forward cautiously as she howled in despair while holding the dying child to her chest just like a mourning mother. "It is true that you love this boy. He holds a very big place in your heart."

"Why? Why did you have to kill him?" she sobbed, pulling James back so she could see his face. Her eyes held his that swam with tears and disbelief.

"But the one you hold most dear, the one who truly holds your heart, is Father Anderson," Alucard said, ignoring her questions. He placed his hand on her head, petting her affectionately as she rocked the boy who was rushing headlong into death. "You can save him."

"Who?" she tearfully inquired, kissing James's forehead. His skin was already growing cold. She hugged him to her body as if she could force her life into him not caring that his blood was covering her. Her hunger had been forgotten as the anguish inundated her.

"The boy. You can save him," he repeated, kneeling down in front of her. He smiled at her as he stared into her glowing eyes that reminded him of molten gold. It surprised him when she did not wince away from his touch as he placed his hand against her cheek. He streaked her face with the boy's blood that was still on his fingertips. Dragging his thumb to her mouth, he traced her lips before inserting the digit between them.

Eva inhaled sharply as his thumb pressed against her tongue. She sucked lightly, tasting the exquisite flavor of pure, sinless blood. The flavor defied description since it was like nothing she had ever tasted before. Her eyes closed to savor the scrumptious delicacy he had given her as his thumb slid from her mouth. When James shuddered in her arms, his body convulsing as he neared death, her eyes popped open. After glancing at the child whose skin had taken on the ghastly gray pallor of death, her eyes flew to Alucard's. "Please tell me what to do."

"Drink his blood," he told her, gazing down at her with a face devoid of emotion.

"What? I can't." She hugged the boy tighter as he shivered while his body grew colder. He was close to the end.

"If you want him to live, you will do it. Take his blood." He reached out to touch her face, holding it between his hands. He leaned forward to kiss her on the lips; quickly, tentatively to test her receptiveness of him. Once again, she was strangely accepting and compliant of the intimate touch from him. "Drink his blood. Save him. He will be your first born son, Eva."

"Born of a vampire? Like I was?" she questioned him, her eyes searching his that were like embers of a fire.

"Exactly. Be what I made you to be. Save him. Make him your own," he coaxed her. "If you don't, he will die. He will no longer be a part of your life."

Eva hesitated, vacillating between allowing James to die a permanent, mortal death or sentencing him to an immortal life as a treacherous beast full of self-loathing - a monster like her. Despite what Father Anderson had told her, the eloquence and passion with which he had given a beautiful alternative definition of monster, the word still described a strange or horrible creature. She was a monster after all. _He will be your first born son, Eva. _Gazing into the dimming blue eyes that were beginning to cloud with death, she was still unable to make a decision. Her fingers brushed through his hair as she struggled to decide between two equally evil and painful options.

"I don't know. I don't know what to do," she whispered, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Please, do it. I don't want to die. I want to be like you. I told you I want to be with you...always," James said, his voice barely audible to a normal human but loud and clear to her. "I love you...mother."

"Oh, James...you don't know what you're asking me to do."

"Please...please don't let me die."

Eva lowered her lips to his neck despite uncertainty. The nauseating mix of revulsion and yearning that whirled within her made her whole body shake uncontrollably. She wanted to quench her thirst as much as she wanted to pull James from the imminent clutches of death that had already taken hold of him to drag him under. The selfish craving for his blood repulsed her. However, her saddened heart rendered the disgust null as her desire to save him rose within her. Pressing her lips against his neck, she carefully sank her teeth into his skin despite the fact the blood was already flowing freely.

"I will tell you when to stop. It is important that you listen to me so you don't kill him...or worse yet, turn him into a ghoul," he warned her, laying his hands on her shoulders.

Eva sucked lightly, resisting the impulse to greedily feed upon the precious and tasty life giving fluid filling her mouth. Her body shuddered with aversion as James's innocent blood slid down her throat. The blood tasted like a sweet ethereal nectar that lay heavily on her tongue, cloying and overly sugary as if it were a decadent dessert. Heat and dizziness swamped her body reminding her of what it felt like to be drunk. She was becoming inebriated from the ambrosia flooding her mouth and trickling down her throat.

"Eva," Alucard called. As much as it thrilled him on multiple levels to watch her taking the blood from the boy, it was time for her to stop. If he betrayed her at this moment, she would never go with him much less stay with him. He craved the devotion and loyalty that she had given to the priest. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with a bitter, bitchy prisoner who posed a serious flight risk. When she did not cease drawing the boy's blood, he pushed her head back, yelling, "Stop this! NOW!" When she bared her teeth and growled, he was taken aback. Momentarily stunned into inaction, he held the intense glare of her golden eyes as she continued to snarl like a wild beast. "Stop or you will kill him."

Eva gradually came to her senses. Tears began to slide down her cheeks anew as she stared at the lifeless body in her arms. Her fingers stroked his deathly pale cheek.

"He's not dead. He's only sleeping, dormant...like you were," Alucard explained to her, assisting her with getting to her feet as she held the boy in her arms. "You have to let him go."

"I can't leave him here," she sniffled, the tears coming faster. "Let me take him to Father Anderson."

"I will allow you to do so," he told her, reaching out to touch her blood stained cheek. "If you do not return to me, I will create a massacre on this island. I will kill everyone who means anything to you while you stand by unable to save them. Satomi, Montalvan, your friends Kobungo and Genpachi," he said, smiling as she gaped at him in shock. "Oh, yes, I know them all. Remember what I told you. I know everything about you." He paused, stepping back from her. "Take the boy to the priest. Hurry back to me."

Eva turned to walk away from him. She cried harder, sobbing low in her throat, with each step she took toward the bungalow. Her steps were heavy, weighted with anger, fear, and regret. She was halfway to the little house that had become a home when Alucard sent her another warning, straight into her psyche.

"If you don't come back to me quickly, I will also kill your beloved Father Anderson. I will make you watch the whole thing as I slowly torture him until he breaths his very last. You will bear witness to it all," he threatened her.

"I understand," she replied, her steps quickening in the direction of the house. Entering through the open doors of her bedroom, she lay James on her bed. She was just about to step back through the french doors when Father Anderson walked into the room behind her.

"Where are you going?" he asked her in a disturbingly calm voice. If he could see the blood on her, he made no comment about it.

Eva closed her eyes, refusing to turn around when she heard the grunt of surprise erupt from Father Anderson when he undoubtedly saw James, unconscious and bloody, lying in her bed. She held her breath, waiting for his response.

"What have you done?" he whispered.

Eva still did not turn around. There was no way she could face him. She had already endured too much from her very recent ordeal. Seeing the disappointment, the confusion, and most likely, the rage, on Alexander's face would destroy her. "I saved him. Alucard cut his throat. James was going to die, Father. I had to do it."

"So he'll be like you?"

"Yes. Do what you did for me, Father. Help him. Purify him. Take care of him. Make sure he doesn't become something evil."

"What about you? Where are you going?"

"I'm going with Alucard," she replied bluntly. She was somewhat astonished and upset when Father Anderson did not unleash a burst of outrage or vow to whip Alucard's ass.

"Do what you have to do, Eva. Find your own path to defeat this evil. I'm sure he has threatened you with some heinous act to convince you to leave so easily," he murmured, sorrow tainting his voice.

Eva almost crumbled with relief. He did understand. Although he did not agree with it, he comprehended why she was so willing to go with the vampire who had killed her. Father Anderson hoped she would find a way to defy Alucard, to defeat him before he could complete the task of completely devastating her - of making her an insidious creature like him.

"Go, Eva. Just remember, no matter what happens, that I love you and that I will waiting for you. And so will James."

"Yes, Alexander. I love you too."

Eva ran back toward the beach. The night air felt cold and heavy against her skin as if many hands were touching her while she pushed her way through the increasing dampness. Her footsteps slowed as her eyes caught sight of Alucard's silvery silhouette outlined by the light of the moon against the pitch black ocean behind him. As she neared him, his visage came into bold, harsh detail as if she were looking at him in the light of day. His severe, thin face was framed by the coal black hair that drifted all the way down to his shoulders. He smiled at her, feral and dangerous, showing off his sharp fangs that glinted menacingly in the dim illumination. She halted completely when he extended his white gloved hand toward her.

"Come with me," he invited her, the red of his eyes flaring into flames that seared her raw emotions.

Eva reached out for him, gasping when his fingers touched hers. There was no warmth in his touch; only icy fingers and frozen emotions. As soon as her palm pressed against his, his fingers wrapped around her hand. She offered no resistance when he pulled her forward, enclosing her body with his arms to press her against him. His body was so different than Alexander's. Alucard was skinny and lanky but an alarming strength lie within his thin body. His embrace was not cozy or comforting. He held her possessively, jealously which caused a tingle of dread to spring up deep inside of her.

"Time to go to where you belong...with me."

Eva began crying again as she pressed her face against his fancy, silky shirt.

Instantly they disappeared. Alucard had spirited her away from the island, making her leave everyone she loved behind. He had her. She would take her proper place beside him to live in the mansion of Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. He would turn her into a proper vampire hunter - and a vampire worthy to be his mate.

* * *

><p>I am afraid this is the end of my present burst of inspiration. I do hate it when the well spring of creativity dries up. I purposely divided these last three chapters because it would have been weird and confusing to combine them into one super long chapter. I hope you enjoyed them. With any luck, it won't be long before I have another wonderful brain blast. I don't want to leave you hanging in suspense too terribly long, dear reader.<p> 


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